JAKARTA: Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi is emitting grey smoke, which is rising 100 to 200 metres from its 725-metre summit, according to the Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation on Saturday.
The agency noted in its daily report that the weather around the volcano, one of Indonesia’s most active, varies from clear to cloudy, with light southerly winds and temperatures between 28°C and 30°C.
A video shared by the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency spokeperson Abdul Muhairi showed clear weather around the volcano at 7.56 am Central Indonesia time.
Abdul Muhairi was en route from Manado to Tagulandang Island, near Ruang Island, where Mount Ruang stands alone within the Sitaro district.
“Hopefully, the volcanic activities will decrease, allowing community activities to resume,“ he said, urging residents to remain vigilant and evacuate from the seven-kilometre radius around Mount Ruang’s crater.
Airport management, via a Notice to Airmen, extended the closure of Manado’s Sam Ratulangi Airport, 95 kilometres from Mount Ruang, for the fifth consecutive day until 6 pm today because of the volcanic ash.
Following Mount Ruang’s eruption last Tuesday, authorities have raised the alert level to the highest and relocated residents to safer areas as instructed by President Joko Widodo.
