Christians Pray As Indonesia Orders Thousands To Relocate After Volcano Erupts

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

JAKARTA (Worthy News) – Indonesia’s government decided Friday that nearly 10,000 residents will be relocated permanently after massive eruptions of the Ruang volcano added to suffering among civilians, including Christians, who have held special prayer services.

Smoke, lava, and volcanic gasses began spewing out of the fiery 725-meter (2,400-foot) high Mount Ruang on Ruang Island in North Sulawesi province in mid-April, posing a growing threat to locals and air traffic.

Christians told Worthy News they are concerned about the situation’s impact on churches.

Though Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim nation, there are at least three Pentecostal churches of the Gereja Pantekosta di Indonesia, or ‘Pentecostal Church in Indonesia’ (GOdI) denomination in the area, Worthy News established.

Christians told Worthy News they have been holding prayer services following the volcanic eruptions in a nation where believers have also reported persecution by Muslim extremists in several areas.

Volcanic explosions occurred again this week in the north-central region of sprawling Indonesia, sparking evacuations and airport closures due to concerns about those living nearby and air traffic in the area.

Witnesses said Mount Ruang erupted three times on Tuesday, sending lava and ash clouds kilometers (miles) into the sky.

HIGHEST ALERT

The eruptions prompted Indonesia’s PVMBG volcanology agency to issue its highest alert, saying a tsunami could be triggered by “volcanic material collapsing into the ocean.”

Among those in despair is Antelmus Paulus, 67, after an eruption on Tuesday rendered his home on nearby Tagulandang island uninhabitable and prompted authorities to evacuate more than 12,000 people there.

His zinc-roofed house, about 7 kilometers (4.35 miles) from the volcano, was heavily damaged by the ejected material.

“There were rocks that were spewed (from the volcano); it lasted at least three hours,” he told Reuters news agency in comments shared with Worthy News. “I have no place to live now,” he added while awaiting evacuation.

Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity due to its location along the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Dozens of people have been killed and many injured in volcanic eruptions in recent months, most of them when Indonesia’s Mount Merapi erupted in December.

One of the deadliest volcanic activities in recent memory occurred in 2010 when eruptions at Mount Merapi on Java island killed about 353 people.

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