Rescuers brave Indonesia volcano eruptions to save pets

A volunteer carries a wounded dog as they bring back animals from the abandoned area at the foot of Mount Ruang volcano (background) on Tagulandang Island in Sitaro, North Sulawesi, on May 4, 2024. Mount Ruang erupted three times on April 30, spewing lava and ash more than five kilometres (three miles) into the sky and forcing authorities to issue evacuation orders for 12,000 locals. - AFP

TAGULANDANG, Indonesia (AFP): An Indonesian volunteer returns from a dangerous rescue mission to a remote island where a volcano recently unleashed huge eruptions, cradling an abandoned, emaciated dog covered in burn blisters.

Mount Ruang in Indonesia's northernmost region has erupted more than half a dozen times since April 16, stirring a spectacular mix of ash, lava and lightning that forced the island's residents to be permanently relocated and thousands more evacuated.