Indonesia orders immediate evacuation as highest alert issued for Bali volcano

[techbeck]

DENPASAR, Indonesia (Reuters) - Indonesia closed the airport on the tourist island of Bali on Monday and ordered 100,000 residents living near a grumbling volcano spewing columns of ash to evacuate immediately, warning that the first major eruption in 54 years could be “imminent”.

 

The airport was closed for 24 hours from Monday morning, disrupting 445 flights and some 59,000 passengers, after Mount Agung, which killed hundreds of people in 1963, sent volcanic ash high into the sky, and officials said cancellations could be extended.

 

“Plumes of smoke are occasionally accompanied by explosive eruptions and the sound of weak blasts that can be heard up to 12 km (7 miles) from the peak,” the Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said in a statement after raising the alert from three to its highest level of four.

 

“The potential for a larger eruption is imminent,” it said, referring to a visible glow of magma at Mount Agung’s peak overnight, and warning residents to evacuate a danger zone at a radius of 8-10 km (5-6 miles).

 

More.....

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-volcano/indonesia-orders-immediate-evacuation-as-highest-alert-issued-for-bali-volcano-idUSKBN1DR036

[Brandon H Supervisor]

oh my, not a fun situation. hopefully evacuations go smoothly

[DocM]

Really! 

 

We have relatives (wife's uncle) who had to bug out when Mt. St. Helen's blew.  Good thing they did