FIRE & FURY
Thousands forced to flee their homes as massive Indonesian ‘Ring of Fire’ volcano erupts sparking tsunami warning
Watch dramatic footage of Mount Ruang erupting as clouds of red fiery smoke rip through the sky
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.
9
9
9
9
9
Incredible images show the 70,000ft high, 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.
Most read in The Sun
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."
Local authorities have declared a state of emergency and disaster responses will remain active for the next two weeks.
Read more on the Irish Sun
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 one km away.
What is the Ring of Fire?
THE Ring of Fire is a belt of volcanoes and tectonic activity that surrounds most of the Pacific Ocean.
The horseshoe-shaped string 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.
The Ring of Fire is home to between 750 and 915 active or dormant volcanoes - roughly two thirds of the worlds total number.
Around 90% of the world's earthquakes also strike there.
Because so many different tectonic plates converge there, the interaction between them forms oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, basins and volcanic belts.
It has existed for over 35 million years and even includes some older, extinct volcanoes.
Some of the world's most famous volcanoes, including Mount St Helens, Mount Pinatubo and Mount Ruiz are found there.
9
9
9
9