SINGAPORE: Mount Ruang’s multiple eruptions, which began on the evening of Apr 16 (Tuesday), have caused people to be evacuated from their homes and raised the possibility that a tsunami may occur.
The volcano, located on the northern side of Sulawesi Island has erupted at least five times in the past few days. On Thursday (Apr 18), smoke emitted continuously from its crater and the international airport at Manado was temporarily closed.
For one woman, however, the eruption appears to have thrown a big wrench into her wedding plans, as she was overheard wondering how she’ll get to Singapore in time for her wedding.
CNA reported that six Scoot flights had been cancelled between Singapore and East Malaysia and Indonesia due to the eruptions. The affected airports included Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and Miri, Sarawak.
A woman who had been scheduled to fly out of Miri, a Ms Lin (transliterated from Mandarin), was informed that her flight had been cancelled when she got to the airport and was checking in.
Ms Lin happened to be standing next to another woman who was en route to her wedding in Singapore scheduled for Friday (Apr 19).
8world reports that Ms Lin heard the woman say, ”We have booked a banquet for more than 100 people in Singapore. Now that the plane is not flying, what should I do? Our relatives and friends are still waiting over there.”
“Scoot is assisting to re-accommodate affected customers onto subsequent flights, where available. Alternatively, affected customers may also request for a full refund if they choose not to continue with their travel,” said Scoot.
Two of Scoot’s flights between Manado and Singapore were also cancelled on Friday (Apr 19). All the flights were halted as a precautionary measure.
“Scoot apologises for the inconvenience caused. The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority,” said the carrier.
Aside from the budget airline, flights from Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, and Batik Air were also affected by Mount Ruang’s eruptions. Ash columns from the volcano have reached as high as 1.5 km.
@cnn Hundreds evacuated from Ruang Island in Indonesia after a volcano erupted on April 17. A tsunami alert has been released by authorities and no casualties have been reported so far. cnn news indonesia
AirAsia flights from Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Sandakan, Labuan, Miri, Sibu, Bintulu, Kuching, and Brunei have been affected by Mount Ruang, while Malaysia Airlines and Batik Air cancelled flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sabah and Sarawak.
Over 11,000 people have been asked to leave the area affected by the eruptions.
“Mount Ruang’s eruption spewed ashfall, rocks and gravels that fell five kilometres away on the coastal areas of Tagulandang Island. Several residents were reported to have been hit by the falling rocks and stones,“ Mr Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said. /TISG
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