Indonesia to permanently relocate 10,000 people after Mt Ruang eruptions

A person carries his belongings as he walks past a damaged house affected by the eruption of Mount Ruang volcano in Laingpatehi village, Sitaro Islands Regency, North Sulawesi province on May 3, 2024. - Reuters

JAKARTA: The Indonesian government will permanently relocate almost 10,000 residents after a series of explosive eruptions of the Ruang volcano has raised concerns about the dangers of residing on the island in future, a minister said on Friday (May 3).

About 9,800 people live on Ruang island, in the province of North Sulawesi, but in recent weeks all residents have been forced to evacuate after the mountain has continued to spew incandescent lava and columns of ash kilometres into the sky.