Jakarta, April 30 -- Thousands of residents in Sitaro Islands District, North Sulawesi, have been evacuated due to the second-phase eruption of Mount Ruang, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

Abdul Muhari, the BNPB Head of the Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center, said on Tuesday that seven emergency posts have been prepared to accommodate 12,000 evacuees.

Evacuees were transported on ships provided by the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL), and the National Police (Polri) to emergency posts located in Manado and Siau Island.

"We are ensuring that they are prohibited from leaving the evacuation posts to return to their homes during the emergency response ...