The nearest Indonesian international airport to a volcano that has erupted five times in recent days has been closed for 24 hours due to volcanic ash, the transport ministry announced Thursday.
In a statement, the head of the Manado region airport authority office, Ambar Suryoko, stated, “Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, located more than 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Mount Ruang, has been forced to close until Thursday evening due to the spread of volcanic ash which could endanger flight safety”.
Mount Ruang’s crater blazed with lava against a backdrop of lightning bolts overnight after erupting four times on Wednesday, prompting authorities to raise the alert level to the highest of four levels.
On Thursday morning, the volcano in Indonesia’s far reaches continued to spew smoke.
Authorities stated that they were rushing to evacuate 11,000 residents from the adjacent area, including the secluded island of Tagulandang, which is home to almost 20,000 people.
Tourists and residents were advised to stay outside a six-kilometre exclusion zone.
Following the first eruption on Tuesday evening, more than 800 residents were evacuated from Ruang to nearby Tagulandang island, where four further explosions occurred on Wednesday.
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