Thousands flee over Bali volcano eruption fears
KARANGASEM, Indonesia: Thousands living in the shadow of a rumbling volcano on Indonesia’s resort island of than 50 years.
Mount Agung belched smoke as high as 700 meters (2,300 feet) above its summit late Tuesday afternoon, sparking an exodus from the settlements near the mountain.
Nearly 1,600 people died when Mt. Agung last erupted in 1963.
It stirred to life again in September, prompting about 140,000 people to leave the area. Many returned home after the volcano’s activity waned, but
Some 30,000 people remain displaced,
“There are 13 of us and we’re afraid. - man Sadi, a local resident who said she was leaving with her family.
activity at Mt. Agung could see it blow its top.
But the head of Indonesia’s volcanology center urged people to remain calm and said the mountain’s alert level has not yet been raised.
“Yesterday there was smoke and steam as high as 700 meters, and last night there three hours,” Kasbani, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday.
“The mountain continues to spew smoke, but there hasn’t been any big eruption so far.”
Mt. Agung lies some 75 kilometers (45 miles) from Bali’s tourist areas, which attract millions of tourists every year.
Flights have not been affected so far, about an eruption over the past few months have cost the island at least $110 million in lost tourism and productivity as many locals moved to shelters.
Indonesia lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activities.