Hundreds of people in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province have been evacuated after eruptions of the Ruang volcano. Most of the island’s 800 residents were evacuated to nearby Tagulandang Island, Reuters reported.

According to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation, over 1,000 earthquakes occurred two days prior to Wednesday’s eruption, while the volcano spewed lava and ash clouds into the sky in smaller eruptions.

Indonesia’s Ruang Volcano erupts on April 17, 2024. (PVMBG)

Spectacular videos of volcanic lightning and cloud explosions on weather satellite maps have surfaced, including a video showing volcanic lightning, which is more frequent and fleeting than lightning strikes occurring in a thunderstorm.

Volcanic lightning is not well understood, but it can be spectacular. As of Wednesday morning, more than 4,000 lightning strikes had been detected around Ruang.

The eruption was captured by Japan’s Himawari weather satellite, showing an explosion in infrared temperatures and a loop showing ash and sulfur dioxide emanating from the eruption. The last eruption of Mount Rauang was in September 2022.

An infrared satellite loop shows Indonesia’s Ruang volcano erupting on April 17, 2024. (HIMIWARI/CIRA)