Indonesian authorities
order a mass evacuation of people from an expanded zone around an erupting volcano on Bali. Lava is welling in the crater of Mount Agung, signaling a possibly big eruption.
KARANGASEM, Indonesia — A volcano gushing towering columns of ash closed the airport on the tourist island of Bali for a second day Tuesday, disrupting travel for tens of thousands, as authorities renewed their warnings for villagers to evacuate.
Mount Agung has been hurling clouds of white and dark gray ash about 9,800 feet into the atmosphere since the weekend, and lava is welling up in the crater, sometimes reflected as a reddish-yellow glow in the ash plumes. Its explosions can be heard about 7 miles away.
Videos released by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency showed a mudflow of volcanic debris and water known as a lahar moving down the volcano’s slopes. It said lahars could increase because it is rainy season and warned people to stay away from rivers.
The agency raised the volcano’s alert to the highest level early Monday and expanded the danger zone to 6 miles in places from the previous 4 miles. It said a larger eruption is possible. The volcano’s last major eruption in 1963 killed about 1,100 people.
Spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told a news conference in Jakarta that the extension of the danger zone affects 22 villages and about 90,000 to 100,000 people. He said about 40,000 people have evacuated but others have not left because they feel safe or don’t want to abandon their livestock.
“Authorities will comb the area to persuade them,” he said. “If needed we will forcibly evacuate them.” About 25,000 people were already living in evacuation centers after an increase in tremors from the mountain in September sparked an evacuation.
Lava rising in the crater “will certainly spill over to the slopes,” Sutopo said.
Villager Putu Sulasmi said she fled with her husband and other family members to a sports hall that is serving as an evacuation center.
“We came here on motorcycles. We had to evacuate because our house is just 3 miles from the mountain. We were so scared with the thundering sound and red light,” she said.
The family had stayed at the same sports center in September and October when the volcano’s alert was at the highest level for several weeks but it didn’t erupt. They had returned to their village about a week ago.
“If it has to erupt let it erupt now rather than leaving us in uncertainty. I’ll just accept it if our house is destroyed,” she said.
Bali’s airport was closed early Monday after ash, which can pose a deadly threat to aircraft, reached its airspace.
Flight information boards showed rows of cancellations as tourists arrived at the airport expecting to catch flights home.
Airport spokesman Arie Ahsanurrohim said 445 flights were canceled, stranding about 59,000 travelers.
The closure was in effect until Tuesday morning, though officials said the situation would be reviewed every six hours. It had a ripple effect across Indonesia, causing delays at other airports because Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai airport is a national hub.