Extract from ABC News
Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami alert on Wednesday after eruptions at Ruang mountain sent ash thousands of feet high.
Officials ordered more than 11,000 people to leave the area.
The volcano on the northern side of Sulawesi island had at least five large eruptions in the past 24 hours, Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation said.
Authorities raised their volcano alert to its highest level.
There were no reports of deaths or injuries.
The National Disaster Management Agency's spokesperson Abdul Muhari told ABC that residents have been moving to the east part of Tagulandang Island.
"They have been moving to the north and east area," he said.
"But we aren't able to reveal the numbers yet … because the rock ejection is still happening and we are prioritising staff's safety."
Mr Muhari said until Thursday morning local time, the volcanic ash has "subsided but the volcanic ash is quite spread out".
"We couldn't land in the local airport," he said.
"Our team would have to wait until the airport is open."
At least 800 residents were evacuated from two Ruang Island villages to nearby Tagulandang Island, according to an earlier report by state agency.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, has 120 active volcanoes.
It is prone to volcanic activity because it sits along the 'Ring of Fire', a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.
The volcanology agency said on Tuesday that volcanic activity had increased at Ruang after two earthquakes in recent weeks.
Authorities urged tourists and others to stay at least 6 kilometres from the 725-metre Ruang volcano.
Officials worry that part of the volcano could collapse into the sea and cause a tsunami similar to a 1871 eruption there.
In a press conference on Thursday, head of Indonesia's volcanology agency Hendra Gunawan said his team will evacuate more people to avoid casualties.
"Some people have been hit by the stones and got their heads scarred although not significant," he said.
"This however shows that the eruption is getting more intense."
Tagulandang island to the volcano's north-east is again at risk, and its residents are among those being told to evacuate.
Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency said residents will be relocated to Manado, the nearest city, on Sulawesi island, a journey of 6 hours by boat.
In 2018, the eruption of Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano caused a tsunami along the coasts of Sumatra and Java after parts of the mountain fell into the ocean, killing 430 people.
ABC/Wires
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