Malaysia to Closely Monitor Mount Ruang Volcanic Eruptions – Loke

HULU SELANGOR (Malaysia), May 1 (Bernama) – Malaysia’s Transport Ministry (MOT) is closely monitoring the latest developments of the volcanic eruptions at Mount Ruang, Indonesia which was reported to have erupted three times Tuesday, spewing lava with ash spreading as far as Malaysia.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that thus far the eruption of Mount Ruang has affected some airspace in Tawau, Sabah, causing some flights to the district to be diverted to Kota Kinabalu, Tuesday.

He said any decision including the closure of airspace and any national airport would be decided by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) taking into account safety factors.

“CAAM has the right to make decisions if there is a need to close national airspace and airports. That is their authority, not the minister, (and) they only need to inform the minister of the decision.

“However, if the situation (eruption) does not affect our airspace, why close it and I think the act of closing the airport is only the last step that will be taken if necessary,” he said.

International media today reported that Mount Ruang erupted three times Tuesday.

The volcano had erupted on April 18, disrupting several domestic flights and affecting tens of thousands of passengers.

The eruption from Mount Ruang was reported to have spewed lava and ash more than five kilometres into the sky with the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) reporting that volcanic ash had reached the island of Borneo, which is shared between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

AirNav Indonesia, a government-owned air traffic control provider, in a notice, announced that seven airports in that country had to be closed following the latest eruption including in Manado.

-- BERNAMA