Indonesia volcanic eruption grounds flights

Mount Ruang off the coast of Sulawesi erupted, forcing the closure of nearby Manado Airport in North Sulawesi and also affecting air travel in Malaysian Borneo.

Thousand of residents were urged to evacuate.

“We have to close flight operations at Manado Sam Ratulangi Airport due to the spread of volcanic ash, which could endanger flight safety,” said Ambar Suryoko, regional airport authority chief.

The area is on the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation’s highest level advisory.

Tsunami warnings were initially issued.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre said the eruption spewed volcanic ash about 70,000 feet into the atmosphere.

Budget airline Scoot cancelled six flights between Singapore and Kota Kinabalu and Miri in East Malaysia and to Manado.

Malaysia Airlines scrapped 20 flights to East Malaysia, while AirAsia cancelled several flights to East Malaysia and Brunei.