Airport closures and evacuations are caused by an Indonesian volcanic eruption

Following days of violent lava, rock, and ash eruptions from the Ruang volcano, Indonesia closed a provincial airport and evacuated hundreds of residents from the area, authorities said on Thursday, issuing a state of emergency.

The volcano on a secluded island in the province of North Sulawesi erupted dramatically on Wednesday, shooting a bright red column of lava, glowing rock, and ash up to two miles (three kilometers) into the sky.

Videos posted on social media showed purple bursts of lightning ripping across the sky above the erupting volcano.

As they hurried to escape, a witness who was filming the eruption said, “We’re running, guys.” “The ash is approaching, so we are fleeing.”

Following the volcanology agency’s upgraded alert status, more than 800 people were evacuated from the region, and the evacuation zone was expanded by the authorities.

An abrupt increase in volcanic activity is to blame for agency administrator Heruningtyas Desi Purnamasari’s statement on Thursday that “the potential for further eruption is still high, so we need to remain alert.”

The official said that the agency had received reports of residences being damaged by falling boulders and ash, and that a nearby hospital had to be evacuated.

In order to shield Manado, the province capital, from the eruption’s ash rains, the transport authorities closed the airport.

Following a warning from aviation authorities about a potential safety hazard, low-cost carrier Air Asia canceled flights with nine airports in East Malaysia and Brunei.

Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the disaster mitigation agency, said that authorities have sealed off a six-kilometer (four-mile) radius surrounding the volcano and are now evacuating more people, some of whom are from the nearby island of Tagulandang.

He continued, saying that some 1,500 people in high-risk locations need emergency evacuation, and over 12,000 more might be impacted.

In addition, authorities have warned of the possibility of a tsunami should portions of the mountain fall into the water below. When the volcano erupted in 1871, a tsunami that killed around 400 people was released.