Hundreds evacuated after Indonesia's Ruang volcano erupts

JAKARTA -- At least 800 people in Indonesia's North Sulawesi Province have been evacuated after multiple eruptions of the area's Ruang volcano, which for days has spewed lava and ash clouds into the sky, the country's volcanology agency said on Wednesday. The volcano, located on Ruang island about 100 km (62 miles) from the provincial capital Manado, has erupted more than three times since Tuesday. Ruang were triggered by recent earthquakes on the island, with the mountain emitting dangerous and "explosive hot clouds" as high as 1.8 km (1.1 miles) into the sky, she said. Ruang island is home to about 838 residents, most of whom have now been evacuated to the nearest island Tagulandang, said Heruningtyas. Indonesia straddles the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire," an area of high seismic activity that rests atop multiple tectonic plates.