Remote Indonesia volcano erupts again after thousands evacuated
A remote Indonesian volcano sent a tower of ash spewing into the sky Friday, after nearly half a dozen eruptions earlier this week forced thousands to evacuate when molten rocks rained down on their villages.
Mount Ruang in Indonesia's outermost region of North Sulawesi started erupting late Tuesday, stirring a spectacular mix of fiery orange lava, a towering ash column and volcanic lightning.
Officials on Friday morning said Ruang had calmed, but it started to belch ash again hours later after authorities maintained the highest alert level and told residents to stay out of a six-kilometer (four-mile) exclusion zone.
"I was very surprised, the mountain erupted again. We are scared," said Riko, a 30-year-old resident of neighboring Tagulandang island.
The country's volcanology agency said the eruption sent a plume of smoke 400 meters (1,312 feet) above the peak.
"There was an eruption of Mt Ruang, North Sulawesi" at 1706 local time, 0906 GMT, it said in a statement.
"The ash column was observed to be gray in color... leaning towards the south."
Hundreds of locals on neighboring Tagulandang island were earlier seen cleaning up volcanic material from the harbor and their yards on Friday morning with the help of soldiers and police officers, according to an AFP journalist.
Some described their panic and rush to safety when the eruptions began days ago.
Mount Ruang erupted again after nearly half a dozen earlier in the week stirred a spectacular mix of fiery orange lava, a towering ash column and volcanic lightning.