Seven airports, including Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, remained closed after Tuesday’s eruption, the second in two weeks.
Schools were closed to protect children from volcanic ash.
The volcano is on the small island of Ruang, part of the Sitaro chain of islands.
The Indonesian Geological Agency urged people to stay at least 7 kilometers away from the volcano’s crater.
He warned people on the nearby island of Tagulandang, closest to the volcano, of possible superheated volcanic clouds from a subsequent eruption and tsunami if the mountain’s volcanic dome collapses into the sea.
A video released by the National Search and Rescue Agency shows about a hundred villagers from Tagulandang Island being evacuated on a navy ship.
Hundreds more waited at a local port to be evacuated.
Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said 11,000 to 12,000 people living in a 7-kilometer danger zone would be taken to government shelters.
Tuesday’s eruption darkened the sky and littered several villages with ash, sand and rocks.
No casualties were reported.
Northern lights shine over the erupting Icelandic volcano
After Mount Ruang erupted on April 17, authorities warned that a subsequent eruption could collapse part of the volcano into the sea.
Ruang is among about 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia.
The archipelagic nation is prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a series of fault lines stretching from America’s west coast through Japan and Southeast Asia.
