More than 11,000 people were asked to evacuate around Indonesia’s Luang volcano, which began erupting on Tuesday.
The first eruption of Mount Luang in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province began on Tuesday and was followed by at least five more eruptions by Wednesday. according to To the Associated Press. Authorities ordered about 11,000 people to evacuate as plumes of gray-white smoke continued throughout Thursday. As of this writing, only 800 people have chosen to retire.
report Online reports suggest there were more than 1,000 earthquakes and more than 4,000 lightning strikes in the region between Tuesday and Wednesday. according to To AccuWeather. Officials also warned that the volcano’s collapse could cause a severe tsunami.
Indonesia’s Luang Volcano in numbers:
• Number of earthquakes in 48 hours: >1,000
• 24 hour lightning strikes: >4,000
• Population of evacuated islands: >800 (100%)
• Last eruption: September 2022https://t.co/Mi1eEM0fRy pic.twitter.com/SeG1qc2n4q— Accuweather (@accuweather) April 17, 2024
The night sky glowed red and flashed with lightning as Indonesia’s Luang volcano erupted Wednesday night, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate. pic.twitter.com/7bwUhi2Bt7
— Accuweather (@accuweather) April 17, 2024
picture share online shows a seemingly non-stop thunderstorm emerging from the ash cloud above the crater, glowing red under a seemingly black sky. “The possibility of further eruptions remains high, so we need to remain vigilant,” local authority official Hernintias Desi Purnamasari said on Thursday. according to to Reuters.
The weight of the ash fall, along with reports of rockfall (volcanic bombs), forced area hospitals to evacuate and transportation authorities closed Manado’s international airport.
Indonesian authorities have issued a tsunami warning after a series of volcanic eruptions on Mount Luang forced hundreds of people to evacuate. pic.twitter.com/aHZYhAE7M5
— DW News (@dwnews) April 18, 2024
Indonesian authorities have issued a tsunami warning and raised the alert level for Mount Luang to the highest level after a volcano near Sulawesi island erupted multiple times, spewing columns of ash 3,000 meters into the air.https://t.co/hVtlTNxHaN pic.twitter.com/Lm1q1PqIQZ
— Weather Channel India (@weatherindia) April 18, 2024
In 2018, Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano roared to life, collapsing part of the volcanic mountain into the sea and sending 16-foot waves crashing into much of the coastal area, killing more than 400 people. (Related: Massive ancient cataclysm at popular tourist destination revealed by scientists, more may be on our way)
Indonesia is also home to the second deadliest volcanic eruption of modern times, the Krakatoa caldera. according to To the Natural History Museum. After a major eruption in 1883 that released tons of sulfur dioxide and debris into the atmosphere, more than 36,000 people died and the moon turned blue for almost a year.
