Internacionales
Indonesia warns of a potential tsunami following the eruptions of the Ruang volcano
Indonesia warned on Thursday about a potential tsunami affecting the central region of the Asian archipelago as a result of the continued eruptions of the Ruang volcano, in the Cebel Islands, while continuing with the evacuation tasks of its inhabitants.
“Residents of the island of Tagulandand, especially those who live near the coast, should be cautious about the potential expulsion of incandescent rocks, smoke columns and a possible tsunami caused by the collapse of parts of the volcano into the sea,” says the Department of Vulcanology of Indonesia in a statement published on its portal.
Authorities seek to prevent a scenario similar to that caused by the eruption of the Anak Krakatoa volcano, located in the Sonda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra, which on December 22, 2018 caused a landslide and a subsequent tsunami that caused at least 426 deaths.
The Ruang volcano, 725 meters high and located on a small homonymous island about 5 kilometers wide, has recorded great activity in recent days, including four strong eruptions detected in the early hours of this Thursday.
Emergency teams have evacuated at least 1,600 people, including the entire population of the island-volcano and some residents on the coast of the neighboring island of Tagulandang, located about 4 kilometers north of the Ruang crater and inhabited by about 22,000 people.
“People who live in the Tagulandang island area and are within a radius of 6 kilometers (from the crater) must be evacuated immediately to a safe place,” the Indonesian Disaster Management Agency said in a statement.
The volcanology agency raised the volcano’s alert last night to the maximum level of IV, after the Ruang launched ash clouds up to 3,000 meters high and caused small earthquakes.
According to the Zoom Earth portal, which follows the development of meteorological phenomena, one of the eruptions recorded in the last few hours was so large that it could be captured by satellite images and created a large cloud that affected the neighboring islands.
Images captured this Thursday show the foothills of the volcano covered by a gray mantle of ash.
For its part, the Meteorological Agency of Japan is studying whether a potential tsunami could impact the west coast of the country, almost 4,000 kilometers away from the volcano.
However, he has not observed “significant changes in the tide level” after last night’s eruptions.
In Australia, the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center pointed out in its latest statement that the material expelled by the Ruang can reach 16,700 meters in height.
The expulsion of ashes has forced the closure of the international airport of the city of Manado, capital of the province of Northern Celebes and located about 70 kilometers southwest of the volcano, affecting at least a dozen flights, most of them domestic.
“All arrival and departure flights have been canceled until 23:59 (local time, 15:59 GMT),” a spokesman for Sam Ratulangi airport, which operates international flights to Singapore and the Philippine city of Davao, told EFE by phone.
Indonesia is home to more than 400 volcanoes, of which at least 129 are still active and 65 are classified as dangerous.
Internacionales
At least 15 bodies found in clandestine graves in Chiapas amid rising violence
At least 15 bodies were found in clandestine graves in the Mexican state of Chiapas (southeast), which has been hit by a rise in violence linked to organized crime, according to local authorities.
Governor Eduardo Ramírez shared details on his X account about an operation to restore security in La Frailesca, an area near the border with Guatemala, known for its significant agricultural and livestock activities but which has suffered a series of blockades by criminal cells for the past three years.
“Communication routes have been cleared,” and “fifteen bodies have been located so far in clandestine graves in two properties,” the state governor stated.
He added that four people were arrested during the operation, and weapons and vehicles were seized, though it was not specified whether those captured were connected to the clandestine burials.
According to reports, criminal cells in La Frailesca are fighting for control of drug trafficking routes and other crimes such as kidnapping and extortion.
Alongside nearly two decades of violence linked to drug trafficking, Mexico has seen an increase in the discovery of irregular graves, some containing over a hundred bodies at various points across the country.
Recently, 12 bodies were found in a grave in the state of Jalisco (west).
Since December 2006, when a controversial military-led anti-drug operation was launched, Mexico has accumulated over 450,000 violent deaths and tens of thousands of disappearances, according to official figures.
Internacionales
One dead in explosive attack on new prison site in Santa Elena, Ecuador
An explosive attack at the construction site of a high-security prison on the coast of Ecuador left one dead, the presidency reported, describing the incident as a “terrorist act.”
“On the morning of December 25, 2024, a group of armed men carried out a terrorist act by violently entering the construction site of the new Santa Elena detention center, where they detonated explosive devices,” the presidency said in a statement.
It added that the attack “resulted in one person dead,” without specifying their identity. President Daniel Noboa’s government began construction of the high-security prison in June, designed to house about 800 people in the rural town of Juntas del Pacífico, in the coastal province of Santa Elena (southwest). The prison will cost 52 million dollars.
Internacionales
Sinaloa security secretary resigns amid wave of violence and cartel infighting
The Secretary of Security for the Mexican state of Sinaloa (in the northwest), which has been shaken for over three months by a wave of criminal violence that has claimed more than 600 lives, resigned from his position, Governor Rubén Rocha Moya confirmed on Saturday.
The local leader confirmed to AFP the resignation of Secretary Gerardo Mérida, and shortly after, he swore in the new head of the department, General Óscar Rentería. The newly appointed secretary has previously served as the commander of a military zone in the also troubled state of Michoacán (in the west) and led another military region in Mexico City when the current president, Claudia Sheinbaum, was mayor (2018-2023).
The wave of killings that is hitting the state is due to an internal war between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, the “Chapitos” and the “Mayos,” named after their leaders, the sons of drug lords Joaquín “Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “Mayo” Zambada.
Both criminal bosses are imprisoned in the United States on drug trafficking charges, but their sons are fighting for control of the legendary cartel in Sinaloa. The cartel is identified by Washington as the largest producer of illegal fentanyl in Mexico.
Mérida’s departure comes amid ongoing clashes, which have left over 600 people dead and another 700 missing in just over 100 days, according to state prosecutor data.
The resignation also follows the murder last Wednesday in the capital of Sinaloa of Halexy Guadalupe, one of the members of the investigative team leading the government’s anti-crime strategy under Sheinbaum.
The president is scheduled to visit the state on Sunday to lead a Security Table meeting to address the ongoing violence crisis.
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