JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami alert Wednesday after eruptions at Ruang mountain sent ash thousands of feet high. Officials ordered more than 11,000 people to leave the area.
The volcano on the northern side of Sulawesi island had at least five large eruptions in the past 24 hours, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation said. Authorities raised their volcano alert to its highest level.
At least 800 residents left the area earlier Wednesday.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, has 120 active volcanoes. It is prone to volcanic activity because it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.
Authorities urged tourists and others to stay at least 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from the 725-meter (2,378 foot) Ruang volcano.
Simon Cowell is lining up a new Britain's Got Talent kids' spin
EU unveils 'remedy' for migrants
Ecuador's former vice president taken to hospital after arrest
Forest fire claims three lives in Guizhou
South Carolina Republicans reject 2018 Democratic governor nominee's bid to be judge
Xi Focus: Xi Stresses Boosting High
Multiple indicators signal upward trend in Chinese economy
EU unveils 'remedy' for migrants
Myanmar's jailed former leader Suu Kyi moved from prison to house arrest
FM: Mutual respect key to ties