Indonesia Volcano: Mount Agung Bali Eruption
Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN)
Authorities have issued the highest-level warning possible after volcanic
eruptions from Mount Agung on the Indonesian resort island of Bali forced the
closure of the island's main airport and evacuation of thousands of residents
living nearby. Ash cloud reached as high as 9,100 meters (5.6 miles),
Australian officials say
Thick ash started shooting thousands of meters into the air
above Mount Agung on Saturday, driving east and southeast along the
archipelago, forcing more than 29,000 people to evacuate from their homes, the
Bali Provincial Board for Disaster Relief said, revising their initial
estimate.
At Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali's main airport,
flights were canceled for 24 hours from 7:15 a.m. Monday local time (6 p.m.
Sunday ET), stranding roughly 59,000 domestic and international passengers,
according to the airport's latest report.
"While the sun is shining and there is little sign of
volcanic ash in the southern regions of Bali, evidence of volcanic ash at
higher altitudes on aviation approach and departure paths has prompted the
decision to close the airport," Bali Tourism Board Chairman Ida Bagus
Agung Partha Adnyana said in a statement.
The National Agency for Disaster Management issued a Level 4
alert on Monday, indicating the potential for another larger eruption and
recommending no public activities within 8 to 10 kilometers from the peak.
Anyone within that distance of the peak was advised to evacuate.
On Sunday, Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological
Hazard Mitigation raised its aviation alert notice to Red, the highest level.
Source; CNN
Source; CNN