The National Disaster Mitigation Agency in Indonesia reported on Saturday that heavy rains triggered floods and landslides, resulting in the deaths of at least 14 people in the South Sulawesi province.
Additionally, 115 individuals have been evacuated.
The agency stated that the floods, occurring early in the morning in the Luwu Regency area, affected over 1,300 families and damaged more than 1,800 homes. However, water levels have begun to recede in some areas.
Indonesian authorities have closed seven airports due to volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Ruang, which also prompted the evacuation of thousands to ensure their safety.
Channel News Asia reported that rescue and navy ships were dispatched to assist in transporting thousands of people from Togian Island to Siau Island due to warnings of possible volcanic rockfalls and lava flows into the sea, potentially causing dangerous tsunami waves.
Indonesia’s Meteorology Agency recently published a map showing volcanic ash reaching the island of Borneo, east of Malaysia.
Julius Ramopolii, head of the Mount Ruang monitoring center, stated that ash and dense smoke continued to rise from the volcano’s crater into the early hours of the day.
He added that smoke columns were dark gray and extremely dense, reaching heights of 500 to 700 meters above the volcano’s crater. The alert level remains at its highest in the four-level system.
Authorities urged local residents to stay outside the restricted zone around the volcano, which stretches for seven kilometers.
The Indonesian Volcanology Agency announced multiple eruptions of Mount Ruang in the past two days, resulting in the emission of dense ash columns into the sky.
Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire.
