Authorities in Indonesia have issued a tsunami warning after a volcano erupted several times in the province of North Sulawesi.
Similar to an eruption in 1871, authorities fear that a part of the volcano may collapse into the sea and create a tsunami.
In 2018, parts of Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano plummeted into the water during its eruption, killing 430 people and sending a tsunami along the beaches of Sumatra and Java.
The people of Tagulandang island, northeast of the volcano, were ordered to evacuate since the island was once more in danger.
Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency reported that residents will be transferred by boat, which will take about six hours, to Manado, the closest city on the island of Sulawesi.
Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation verified at least five massive eruptions from the volcano on the northern side of Sulawesi Island in the past 24 hours.
Indonesia's volcanology agency said Mount Ruang, a stratovolcano, erupted four more times on Wednesday after the first eruption on Tuesday at 9:45 pm.
Hendra Gunawan, the head of Indonesia's volcanology agency, said Mount Ruang's level was raised from level three to level four—the maximum level—based on visual and instrumental observations showing increased volcanic activity.
The volcano emitted a column of smoke more than a mile into the sky, prompting hundreds of people to flee their homes, and by Wednesday morning, at least 800 locals had reportedly left the area.
Indonesia's 270 million-person archipelago has 120 active volcanoes along the "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines in the Pacific Ocean.
According to authorities, tourists should stay at least four miles from the 2,378-foot Ruang volcano.
