Jakarta, April 30 (IANS/DPA): Indonesia's Mount Ruang volcano erupted on Tuesday, prompting authorities to raise the alert level to the highest level and order immediate evacuations within a six-kilometre radius.

The eruption at Mount Ruang, located in North Sulawesi province, sent a column of ash and smoke 2,000 metres into the sky, according to Indonesia's geological agency.

The agency urged residents in the affected areas to follow evacuation orders and wear masks to protect against ash.

This latest eruption follows heightened volcanic activity that began in mid-April.

Indonesian authorities had previously issued a tsunami warning and raised the alert level for the volcano after it had multiple large eruptions, spewing ash columns up to 3,000 metres high.

Those eruptions prompted aviation authorities to close Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado, located about 100 kilometres from the volcano, to protect flights from dangerous volcanic ash.

The 725-metre-high volcano is one of Indonesia's most active. Mount Ruang's last major eruption occurred in 2002, generating pyroclastic flows that caused damage to the surrounding area.

Indonesia, situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity.