14,000 flee homes in Bali after volcano alert
JAKARTA: More than 14,000 people have fled their homes as fears of an eruption grew after Indonesian authorities set the alert for a volcano on the resort island of Bali to its highest level.
Authorities late on Friday set the alert level for Mount Agung in Bali’s Karangasem district to Level 4, indicating that an eruption could be imminent.
“The situation is worrying, and there are fears of a sudden eruption,” said government vulcanologist Gede Suantika.
Villagers living nearby were transported by trucks to temporary shelters in government buildings, sports halls and on open fields, said Putu Juli Adnyana, an official at an emergency post set up to care for the displaced.
“Some of them brought with them their own belongings such as motorcycles, mattresses and even cattle,” he said. More than 10,000 have been deployed to personnel assist with the evacuation, according to Sutopo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Authority.
“Our focus is now evacuating the residents and providing them with their basic necessities such as food, water and sanitation,” he said.
About 80,000 people live near the volcano.
Sutopo said that Bali remained safe for tourists to visit and that the airport was still operating as normal.
“The government will surely give an early warning and accurate information if there’s a threat to the public,” he added.
Mount Agung, at 3,030 metres tall, last erupted in 1963-64, killing about 1,500 people.
The volcano is popular local and foreign trekkers.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area known for frequent seismic upheavals and volcanic eruptions.
The country is home to about 130 active volcanoes. Disaster Management among