Houses on the neighboring, distant island of Tagulandang were riddled with holes from falling volcanic rocks, and residents were preparing to go away the country, no less than temporarily.
“The current condition, especially the condition of the road, is covered with volcanic material,” said local rescuer Ikram Al Ulah.
“Many people are still hiking these days. Maybe to evacuate valuable goods from their home.
Scientists say the tsunami in Anak Krakatoa reached a height of 100 meters
Scientists say the tsunami in Anak Krakatoa reached a height of 100 meters
Authorities said they were urgently evacuating 11,000 residents from a nearby area, including the remote island of Tagulandang, where about 20,000 people live.
According to the authorities, some residents were already trying to escape in panic.
“Last night, people evacuated on their own but without guidance due to the volcanic eruption and small rock materials that fell, so they spread out to find evacuation routes,” Jandry Paendong, an official with the local search and rescue agency, said in Thursday’s report. statement.
He said 20 workers helped evacuate coastal residents near the volcano in rubber boats.
According to Ikram, authorities also evacuated a prison on Tagulandang island, transporting 17 prisoners, 11 officials and 19 residents by boat to the seaport of Likupang on the northern island of Sulawesi.
The prison chief requested an evacuation because the facility is located opposite a volcano, the rescuer said.
Tourists and residents were warned to stay outside the six-kilometer exclusion zone.
After the first eruption on Tuesday evening, more than 800 people were initially flown to safety from Ruang to the nearby island of Tagulandang, followed by four further eruptions on Wednesday.
Paendong called for the purchase of more boats and equipment so that his team could “conduct the evacuation of people on or near the coast” opposite the volcano.
Authorities also warned of a possible tsunami from the eruption.
“Communities on Tagulandang Island, especially those living near the beach, [need] remain vigilant against potential ejection of glowing rocks, hot cloud discharges and tsunami caused by the collapse of the volcano’s body into the sea,” Hendra Gunawan, head of Indonesia’s volcanology agency, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The authorities’ concerns were compounded by previous experience.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago country, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
The effects of the Mount Ruang eruption led to the closure of Sam Ratulangi International Airport in the city of Manado, located more than 100 km (62 miles) from the volcano, for 24 hours until Thursday evening.
The airport’s runways were closed “due to the spread of volcanic ash that could have compromised flight safety,” Ambar Suryoko, head of the airport authority’s office in the Manado region, said in a statement.
The airport serves airlines offering flights to Singapore and cities in South Korea and China.
“All flights… affected because the airport is affected by the eruption of Mount Ruang and volcanic ash,” Dimas, a 29-year-old airport official in Manado, said by phone.
Low-cost airline AirAsia also canceled flights to and from nine airports in East Malaysia and Brunei until Friday morning “due to [the] “Mount Ruang erupts,” X wrote on social media platform.
