Bali Mt. Agung Eruption Forces Evacuations

Agung eruptions increasing in frequency  

AGENCIES
07/04/2018

The Mount Agung volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali erupted again on Monday evening ejecting a 2000-metre-high column of thick ash and hurling lava down its slopes, forcing the evacuation of some surrounding residents.

Mount Agung erupts as seen from Datah Village, 

Karangasem, Bali  (Photo: Nyoman Budhiana/Antara)

As many as 690 people from Banjar Galih have decided to evacuate to Karang Asem.

People living near rivers were advised by the Indonesian government to exercise caution, particularly in wet weather, because of the risk of fast-moving flows of muddy volcanic debris.

The Indonesian geological agency’s Mount Agung monitoring post said a “loud explosion” from the mountain began just after 9pm.

“Flares of incandescent lava” reached two kilometres from the crater, it said.

The eruption lasted three minutes and 47 seconds, said the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

Government seismologists monitor more than 120 active volcanoes.

It said the alert level for Agung has not been raised and the exclusion zone around the crater remains at four kilometres.

Smoke billows from the Mount Agung volcano seen from Amed in Karangasem Regency, Bali, Indonesia

Last week, a number of flights were cancelled and the main airport was closed after the volcano erupted again, disrupting travel for tens of thousands.

“The eruption did not cause the volcanic ash to spread. Hence, airport operations in Bali and the surrounding areas remain normal,” BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on his official Twitter account on Monday.

The volcano, about 70 kilometres northeast of Bali’s tourist hotspot of Kuta, last had a major eruption in 1963, killing about 1100 people. It had a dramatic increase in activity last year, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, but had quietened by early this year. Authorities lowered its alert status from the highest level in February.

Mount Agung volcano erupts during the night as seen from Bugbug village in Karangasem Regency, Bali  (Photo: Andre Ardiansyah)

The volcano, about 70 kilometres northeast of Bali's tourist hotspot of Kuta, last had a major eruption in 1963, killing about 1100 people.

It saw a dramatic increase in activity last year, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, but had quietened by early this year.

Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and 250 million people, sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Government seismologists monitor more than 120 active volcanoes.

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Posted in: Indonesia,Indonesian Economy,Indonesian Government,Indonesian Volcanos