A VOLCANO in the Pacific Ring of Fire has erupted five times sparking a tsunami warning and mass evacuation.
Over 11,000 people fled their homes after Mount Ruang exploded, spewing flames and red smoke into a sky racked by lightning storms.
AFPDramatic pictures showed red smoke, flames and lightning fill the sky[/caption]
Molten lava pouring from Mount Ruang in IndonesiaRex
Surreal footage captured lightning storms mixing with volcanic ash in the air to create red-pink smokeRex
EPASome 11,000 people have been evacuated from nearby areas[/caption]
Incredible images show the mile-long stream of burning ash and smoke unfurling from the Indonesia volcano.
Officials fear part of it could collapse after the massive eruption, sparking a tsunami.
Today they warned that a tidal wave could reach up to 25 metres high on the west side of remote Tagulandang Island – just one kilometre away.
Alert levels were raised from three to four – the highest tier – amid fears of the huge natural disaster.
The 725-metre volcano first erupted on Tuesday night around 9.45pm before four more explosions hit on Wednesday.
Those at risk in nearby areas have been evacuated to the closest city by rubber boats on six-hour trips.
More than 800 people fled two villages on the Ruang and Tagulandang Islands with another 11,000 from close-by areas.
In 1871 part of Mount Ruang did collapse into the sea after an eruption, sparking a tsunami which killed around 400 people.
And in 2018, another volcano in Indonesia – Anak Krakatau – caused a tsunami that killed 430 after parts of the mountain fell into the ocean.
Ruang, a stratovolcano, is one of the most active in the Ring of Fire region – a tectonic belt of volcanoes and earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean.
Hendra Gunawan, chief of Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG), warned today the “visual activity and seismicity” has significantly shot up since Tuesday.
She said: “People who live in the P. Tagulandang area within a 6 km radius must be immediately evacuated to a safe place outside the 6 km radius.”
The volcanic expert also warned people to be on the look out for hot cloud discharge and falling rocks after the eruption.
And head of the PVMBG Volcano Observation Team Heruningtyas Desi Purnamasari added today that they had “learned from history” about potential tsunami risks in the area.
He said: “So this is the basis for us to issue a safe distance of 6 km, so that the west side of Tagulandang Island must be evacuated because there is the potential for a tsunami that could occur if the body of the volcano landslides and enters the sea.”
Ruang is the southernmost volcano in the Sangihe islands – people live on the 5km wide isle around its centre lava dome.
Tahulandang island – most at risk from a tsunami – is less than 1km away.
The Ring of Fire stretches 40,000 km all the way from Asia to South America.
Earth’s most dramatic and ferocious seismic events happen along the active ring where plenty of tectonic plates overlap.
Rescuers evacuate a resident as Mount Ruang erupts, in Sitaro, Indonesia
Officials fear part of the volcano could break off and fall into the seaEPA