Thousands ordered to flee homes as Indonesian volcano eruption sparks tsunami warning

18 April 2024, 03:18 | Updated: 18 April 2024, 05:12

Thousands of people have been told to leave their homes after an Indonesian mountain erupted, sending ash thousands of feet high.

Ruang mountain, a 725m volcano on the northern side of Sulawesi island, has erupted at least five times in 24 hours, according to Indonesia's Centre for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation.

Authorities are concerned part of the mountain could collapse into the sea and cause a tsunami.

People were told to stay at least 3.7 miles away, and a nearby airport - Sam Ratulangi in Manado - has been closed, affecting nine flights so far.

Among 11,000 people ordered to leave the area were those on Tagulandang island, to the volcano's northeast.

They will be taken to the nearest city, which is six hours by boat.

Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, has 120 active volcanoes.

It sits along the Ring Of Fire, a series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.

In 2018, the eruption of Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano caused a tsunami along the coasts of Sumatra and Java after parts of the mountain fell into the ocean, killing 430 people.

(c) Sky News 2024: Thousands ordered to flee homes as Indonesian volcano eruption sparks tsunami warning