Indonesian eruption sparks tsunami warnings, evacuation

By Kathleen Magramo | CNN

Indonesian authorities on Wednesday ordered hundreds of villagers to evacuate following multiple eruptions of a remote island volcano, raising fears it could collapse into the sea and trigger a tsunami.

Mount Ruang, a 725-meter (2,400-foot) volcano on Ruang Island, North Sulawesi, has erupted at least five times since Tuesday night, spewing fiery lava and ash plumes thousands of feet into the sky, the country’s volcanology agency said.

Agency chief Hendra Gunawan said officials had raised the volcano alert to the highest level, warning people not to go within 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) of the peak, due to fears Mount Ruang could partially collapse into the water and cause a tsunami, as it did in 1871.

“The force of Mount Ruang’s eruption is getting bigger and has emitted hot clouds of approximately 1.7 kilometers,” he told national news agency Antara, adding the eruptions were triggered by recent earthquakes in the area.

Mount Ruang is a stratovolcano, which are typically conical and relatively steep-sided due to the formation of viscous, sticky lava that does not flow easily. Stratovolcanoes often produces explosive eruptions due to gas build-up in the magma, according to volcanologists.

Dramatic footage of the eruptions Wednesday shows plumes of gray ash billowing into the sky and streams of glowing lava, accompanied by lightning strikes. Images also show villagers being evacuated.

FOLLOW US ON GOOGLE NEWS

Read original article here

Denial of responsibility! Todays Chronic is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials, please contact us by email – todayschronic.com. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.

Leave a Comment