Watch the Masters Volcano: six-kilometer perimeter around evacuated

Indonesia has closed a regional airport and evacuated hundreds of people from the vicinity of the Ruang volcano after it spewed lava, rock and ash for days, local officials said Thursday, declaring the highest alert level.

During Wednesday's spectacular eruption, the Ruang volcano, located on a remote island in North Sulawesi province, spewed a column of lava, red-hot rocks and ash three kilometers into the atmosphere.

Purple lightning lit up the sky above the erupting volcano, according to videos posted on social media.

"We're running, people," said a witness who filmed the eruption as he tried to evacuate. "We are running away because the ash is getting closer," he added.

More than 800 people were evacuated, and the authorities expanded the evacuation zone after the Volcanology Agency raised the alert level.

"The possibility of another eruption is still high, we must remain vigilant," Agency official Heruningtyas Desi Purnamasari told reporters on Thursday, blaming a rapid escalation of volcanic activity.

According to information received by the Agency, the rocks and ash damaged homes and forced the evacuation of a nearby hospital, the Indonesian official said.

Transport authorities have closed the airport in the provincial capital, Manado, as a protective measure against ashfall generated by the volcano.

Low-cost airline Air Asia has canceled flights from nine airports in East Malaysia and Brunei after authorities warned of a threat to passenger safety.

Officials have set up a six-kilometer perimeter around the volcano and are evacuating other residents, including some who live on the neighboring island of Tagulandang, said Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the Disaster Management Agency.

About 1,500 people in high-risk areas had to be evacuated immediately, he added, and another 12,000 people could also be affected.

Indonesian officials have also signaled the risk of a tsunami if parts of the slope collapse into the ocean. About 400 people lost their lives in a tsunami caused by an earlier eruption of the Ruang volcano in 1871.

18 dead as a result of landslides in central Indonesia

Eighteen people were killed, two were injured and two others were reported missing in landslides in central Indonesia's South Sulawesi province late Saturday, an official from the local disaster management agency said on Sunday.

Landslides triggered by torrential rains occurred in the two sub-districts of the Tana Toraja administrative division, Makale and South Makale, destroying several houses and burying residents under the rubble, said the director of the operational unit of the Agency for Disaster Management and Prevention at provincial level, Amson Padolo.

The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, while rescue teams searched for two more missing residents, the official adding that rescuers needed heavy equipment to clear the affected roads. .

SEVERE STORM ALERT Severe weather sweeps across the central United States (II)

Storm damage was reported from Texas to Florida.

Emergency services were assessing damage from a “possible tornado” near St. Augustine, Florida, Thursday afternoon. 

Photos shared by St. Johns County firefighters show fences torn down, but there were no immediate reports of serious injuries following the possible tornado that touched down in that area shortly before noon Thursday.

A tornado struck Slidell, about 50 kilometers northeast of New Orleans, on Wednesday. It tore the roofs off buildings and partially collapsed others in this town of around 28,000 inhabitants and its surroundings. Authorities said first responders had to rescue people trapped in an apartment building.

Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer estimated during a news conference Wednesday evening that about 75 homes and businesses were damaged. St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper said hundreds of other homes were damaged outside the city.

Police videos show tree branches littering streets and flooded yards that resemble swamps. Outside a McDonald's restaurant, a car was on its side, utility poles were leaning and large pieces of the brand's golden arches were strewn about.

No deaths or serious injuries have been reported in Slidell. The weather service posted on social media Wednesday that initial investigations indicate the area was hit by an EF-1 tornado, with winds of 140 kilometers per hour to 175 kilometers per hour.

Nearly eight inches of rain fell in parts of New Orleans. This came as the system of pipes and pumps that drains the city was experiencing problems with its power generation system, forcing workers to divert electricity as needed.

“During intense rains, the mission sometimes shifts from keeping streets dry to draining them as quickly as possible,” the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board said in a statement.

A woman died in central Mississippi following a power outage that caused her oxygen machine to shut down, authorities say. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said 72 homes were damaged.

In Texas, several people were rescued from their homes and vehicles early Wednesday when flooding hit parts of Jasper County near the Louisiana border

SEVERE STORM ALERT Severe weather sweeps across the central United States (I)

Powerful storms slammed into parts of the southeastern United States early Thursday, causing some tornado warnings and flash flooding and delaying the start of one of the world's biggest sporting events.

The storm system, already responsible for at least one death in Mississippi, demolished buildings and flooded streets in the New Orleans area on Wednesday. It continued to cause flash flood and tornado warnings in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina on Thursday.

Twelve thousand subscribers were without power Thursday afternoon, both in North Carolina and Georgia, according to the poweroutage.us website. There were also 18,000 customers in the dark in Florida, 31,000 in Mississippi and almost 60,000 in Louisiana.

Meteorologists warned Thursday that parts of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia will be in the crosshairs. According to the latest forecasts from the Storm Prediction Center, these regions could be hit by tornadoes, damaging winds and large hailstones.

At least a dozen West Virginia counties closed public schools early Thursday due to the approaching storms. Southern West Virginia was hit by nine tornadoes on April 2. This is a single-day record for the state and more than quadruple the number of tornadoes recorded in an average year.

In Augusta, Georgia, the start of the Masters golf tournament has been delayed, tournament officials announced. Forecasters are predicting wind gusts approaching 75 kilometers/hour.

“These wind speeds could easily bring down branches here and there,” warned Brad Carlberg, forecaster at the National Weather Service. Be aware of weather conditions and gusts, especially if you are near trees, as a branch can fall at any time.”

Torrential rains made roads impassable in Valdosta, Georgia, an emergency official reported. In Tallahassee, Florida, storms toppled trees and caused significant street flooding, the weather service said.

(to be continued)