Indonesian authorities reopened an international airport near a recently erupted volcano on Monday, as they lowered the warning level.
Volcanic activity and evacuation efforts
Due to eruptions at nearby Mount Ruang, Sam Ratulangi airport has been closed since Thursday.
Indonesia’s Disaster Management Agency lowered the alert level of the volcano from four, the second-highest level, to three.
However, residents are still instructed to stay at least 4 kilometers (2.7 miles) away from the mountain.
Since Thursday, over 3,000 residents have been evacuated due to various hazards, including ash, hot volcanic clouds, falling rocks, and concerns about a potential tsunami.
A collaborative effort from local authorities involved teams combing through villages surrounding the volcano and evacuating residents via boats.
The risk persisted due to the potential for small-scale eruptions, which could trigger rockslides and other hazards in the immediate vicinity of the volcano.
Authorities reopened the airport following satellite imagery indicating that rainfall had cleared the volcanic ash from the tarmac. Indonesia, with its population of 270 million people spread across an archipelago, is home to 120 active volcanoes. Its susceptibility to volcanic activity is attributed to its location along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped zone of seismic fault lines encircling the Pacific Ocean.