Eruptions at Indonesia's Mount Ruang volcano have closed seven airports and sent ash as far away as Malaysia, officials said. Authorities have also evacuated thousands of people over tsunami fears.

The Indonesian National Meteorological Agency (BMKG) released a map on the morning of May 1 showing that volcanic ash had spread as far as East Malaysia on the island of Borneo, where Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei meet. According to a statement from state air traffic control service provider AirNav Indonesia, the spread of volcanic ash forced seven airports to close, including the largest airport in Manado province.

Mount Ruang erupted three times on April 30, spewing lava and ash more than 5km into the air and forcing authorities to issue evacuation orders for 12,000 people. A rescue ship and a warship were dispatched to help evacuate thousands from neighboring Tagulandang island to Siau island amid warnings that part of the volcano could fall into the sea, potentially triggering a tsunami.

According to BMKG, since the first eruption on April 17, at least 3,614 houses, 2 churches and 1 school have been damaged by lava and pyroclastic ash from the volcano. The Volcanic and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) has raised the status of Mount Ruang from level 3 to level 4.

KHANH MINH