Indonesia’s Mount Ruang volcano put on a spectacular show Tuesday, sending hot gas and debris high into the sky as an intense lightning show raged overhead.
Like a scene from Lord of the Rings‘ fictional Mordor, footage released by BNPB Indonesia shows a continuous cascade of lightning in a toxic ash cloud over the volcano’s crater, as the sky above glows red and lights up with huge flashes.
Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the island where the volcano is located, Reuters reports, and officials warned residents of nearby Tagulandang island that a tsunami could be triggered by volcanic materials falling into the ocean.
In this photo released by the Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) of the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mount Ruang releases volcanic materials during its eruption, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, on Sulawesi Island, Indonesia.
PVMBG via The Associated Press
This is the second time in two weeks Mount Ruang has erupted, spewing ash almost two kilometres into the sky, closing an airport and showering nearby villages with debris.
So far, there have been no reports of injuries or deaths associated with any of the eruptions.
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