TAGULANDANG, Indonesia - Mr Antelmus Paulus, 67, is in despair after the eruption on April 30 of Indonesia's Ruang volcano rendered his home on Tagulandang island uninhabitable and prompted the authorities to evacuate more than 12,000 people.

Mr Antelmus' zinc-roofed house, about 7km from the 725m-high volcano, was heavily damaged by the ejected material.

"There were rocks that were spewed (from the volcano), it lasted at least three hours," he told Reuters on May 2 while awaiting evacuation. "I have no place to live now."

The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has also warned of a potential tsunami triggered by volcanic material collapsing into the ocean.

Another island resident Sulce Ansar said the April 30 eruption was "worse" than the series of eruptions in April that forced hundreds to evacuate.

"I remember seeing the fiery red clouds (of) lava (spewing) into the air, along with gravel, volcanic ash raining down the island. I had to run very far that night," she said.

Video shared by Indonesia's disaster management agency BNPB showed lightning flashing above Mount Ruang's crater when it erupted on April 30.

Reuters witnessed collapsing roofs on most houses on Tagulandang island, with roads and building debris blanketed in a thick layer of volcanic ash.

Ms Sulce and Mr Antelmus are awaiting evacuation to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province in the north-central region of the sprawling Indonesian archipelago.

BNPB said that, as at the afternoon of May 2, 3,364 people had been evacuated from Tagulandang island, with more than 5,000 inhabitants remaining.

BNPB head Suharyanto, who goes by only one name, expects the remaining residents to be evacuated within the next three days.

A state of emergency, effective until May 14, has been declared by the local government to facilitate aid access, though the authorities said the airport in Manado will remain closed until May 3. REUTERS