The Mount Agung volcano eruption take Bali Volcano to a standstill. Tuesday marks the second day when the airport at the Indonesian tourist island of Bali will be close.
Authorities start the evacuation process yet again. Tens of thousands of tourists advise to evacuate or avoid the nearby regions. More than 400 flights cancel on Monday and nearly 60,000 travelers affect due to this.
Mount Agung covering clouds of white and dark gray ash about 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) above. Its cone since the weekend and lava is welling in the crater. Sometimes reflect as an orange-red glow in the ash plumes. Its explosions can be heard about 12 kilometers (7 1/2 miles) away.
Bali Volcano Eruptions Video
The local airport authority inform Tuesday that closure for another 24 hours require for safety reasons. Volcanic ash poses a deadly threat to aircraft. And ash from Agung is moving south-southwest toward the airport. Ash reaches a height of about 30,000 feet as it drifts across the island.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency raise the volcano’s alert to the highest level Monday. Also expand an exclusion zone to 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the crater in places from the previous 7 1/2 kilometers.
Government volcanologist update the volcano could continue for weeks at its current level of activity. And not erupt explosively. Meanwhile, the Indian Consulate in Bali has set up a help desk to assist Indian nationals stuck in Bali.
Authorities told to close to a 1,50,000 people to leave homes that are in close proximity to the volcano. Though as of Monday tens of thousands stayed because they felt safe or didn’t want to abandon livestock.
“Authorities will comb the area to persuade them,” agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said at a news conference Monday.
“If needed we will forcibly evacuate them.” About 25,000 people already have been living in evacuation centers since September when an increase in tremors sparked concerns.
Volcanologist Erik Klemetti at Dennison University in Ohio said Agung’s 1963 eruption was big enough to cool the earth slightly. But it’s unclear whether this time it will have a similar major eruption or simmer for a prolonged period.
Bali Volcano
Bali is Indonesia’s top tourist destination, with its Hindu culture, surf beaches and lush green interior attracting about 5 million visitors a year.
Indonesia’s Directorate General of Land Transportation said 100 buses were deployed to Bali’s international airport and to ferry terminals to help travelers stranded by the eruption.
The agency’s chief, Budi, said major ferry crossing points advise to prepare for a surge in passengers and vehicles. Stranded tourists can leave Bali by taking a ferry to Java and then traveling by land to the nearest airports.
Ash settle on villages and resorts around the volcano. And disrupt daily life outside the immediate danger zone.
“Ash that cover the trees and grass is very difficult for us. Because the cows cannot eat,” said Made Kerta Kartika from Buana Giri village. ”