Mount Ruang Still Erupting, Flights to Manado Paralyzed

The eruption of Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi has been occurring since Saturday afternoon. Mount Ruang still has Alert status.

BPBD SITARO

The condition of Mount Ruang in the district of Kepulauan Siau Tagulandang Biaro (Sitaro) in North Sulawesi, which erupted volcanic ash rain on Wednesday (17/4/2024).

BANDUNG, KOMPAS — Eruption Mount Ruang in Siau Islands Regency Tagulandang Biaro or Sitaro, North Sulawesi , still happening until Saturday (20/4/2024) afternoon. This condition has caused flights to Manado to be paralyzed for the last four days.

Head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) Hendra Gunawan in a press release received by Kompas said that Mount Ruang erupted again at 12.15 WITA. From observations, the height of the ash column reached 250 meters above the peak.

He explained that Mount Ruang is still at Alert status (Level IV). Therefore, the community is not allowed to enter within a radius of 6 kilometers from the peak.

Previously, the monitoring device for Mount Ruang's activity had stopped operating on Wednesday (17/4/2024) at 20.39 Wita. At that time, continuous eruptions had been occurring since 20.15 Wita. At 21.00 Wita that day, PVMBG raised the mountain's status from Alert (Level III) to Warning.

"The column of ash was observed to be grey in color with a thick intensity leaning towards the south. This eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 3 millimeters and a duration of approximately 5 minutes and 6 seconds," said Hendra.

Also read: Beware of the Potential for a Tsunami due to the Eruption of Mount Ruang

He urged the residents living in the area of Pulau Tagulandang within a radius of 6 kilometers to immediately go to a safe place.

Until now, the local government and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Sitaro Regency have evacuated around 828 residents, consisting of 506 residents from Laingpatehi Village and 322 residents from Pumpente Village.

Meanwhile, according to the calculations from the INARisk application, the potential number of residents affected in high-risk areas or within a radius of 2.5 km reaches 1,585 people. Then, in the medium-risk class (within a radius of 4 km), it is 6 people, and the low risk (within a radius of 7 km) reaches 10,024 people.

ARSIP KEMENTERIAN SOSIAL

The volunteer team of Disaster Alert Taruna Siaga Bencana (Tagana) from the Ministry of Social Affairs and members of the Navy brought aid to the victims of the eruption of Mount Ruang who were displaced on Tagulandang Island, North Sulawesi, on Friday (19/4/2024).

The increase in volcanic activity of Mount Ruang was marked by eruptions since Tuesday (16/4/2024). The Geological Agency recorded that smoke from the crater with a height of 200-500 meters from the peak began to appear on Tuesday morning. A weak intensity eruption then occurred at 13:37 WITA.

On Tuesday at 9:45 pm Wita, there was an explosive eruption with an estimated height of the eruption column reaching 2,000 meters from the peak. The eruption occurred again on Wednesday (17/4/2024) at 01:08 am Wita, with the eruption column reaching 2,500 meters and accompanied by the sound of explosions and roaring.

Until now, the local government and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Sitaro Regency have evacuated around 828 residents, consisting of 506 residents from Laingpatehi Village and 322 residents from Pumpente Village.

This activity has caused the residents living on the island where Gunung Ruang stands to evacuate to Pulau Tagulandang. On the same day at 05:05 WIB, Gunung Ruang erupted again to a height of 1,800 meters.

"People on Tagulandang Island, especially those who live near the coast, should be aware of the potential for incandescent rocks to erupt, hot clouds (surges) and tsunamis caused by the collapse of volcanic bodies into the sea," he said.

DOKUMENTASI KEMENTERIAN PERHUBUNGAN

The situation at Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado, North Sulawesi, which temporarily closed due to the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro Regency, North Sulawesi on Thursday (18/4/2024). As a result, several flights from several airlines were cancelled.

Lion Air Group Papua-Maluku Manager, Agung Setyo Wibowo, stated that his airline has not been able to enter Sam Ratulangi Airport until Saturday. This condition has had an impact on flight routes from Manado to Ternate, Ambon, Sorong, and even Jayapura.

Also read: Mount Ruang eruption, Sam Ratulangi Airport temporarily closed

Manado is one of the main destinations in eastern Indonesia. Many students study in the Manado region, while many Manado residents have migrated to the Papua region.

"Before the volcano eruption, there were daily flights from Maluku and Papua to Manado. Currently, all flights to Manado are still suspended," he said.