34,000 flee Bali as volcanic eruption fears grow
Thirty four thousand people have fled the Indonesian resort island of Bali as fears grow that a rumbling volcano could erupt any moment.
Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said on Sunday the number of people fleeing their homes surrounding Mount Agung had tripled since Friday amid growing alarm that the volcano could erupt at any moment.
“The evacuation process is ongoing and we expect the number of evacuees to continue to rise,” the agency’s spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, told AFP.
The volcano, located about 75 kilometers from the tourist hub of Kuta, which has been rumbling since August, has not erupted in 50 years.
Evacuations had already been underway.
Officials announced the highest possible alert level late on Friday following increasing volcanic activity and urged people to stay at least nine kilometers away from the crater.
The international airport in Bali’s capital, Denpasar, was anticipating the possibility of closure but no flight schedules had been affected as of Sunday. The airport has prepared buses and trains to divert passengers to alternative hubs in neighboring provinces if the volcano erupts.
The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said tremors happened less frequently on Sunday but were stronger than on previous days.
“The mountain has not erupted until now, the earthquake happens less frequently but the magnitude is getting stronger,” Gede Suantika, a senior volcanologist at the agency, told AFP.
More than 1,000 people died when Mount Agung last erupted in 1963.
Malaysia working on resolution to expel Israel from United Nations
Ambassador: Japan studying recognition of State of Palestine
Indonesia urges UNSC to take 'decisive action' against Israeli regime
'Hello my enemies': Lebanese journalist on Israeli threats and his resolve to continue
Outrage in France as MP proposes bill to ban criticism of Israel
VIDEO | The strategy of Hezbollah in war
Israeli military withdraws several brigades from southern Lebanon: Report
48-year-old Palestinian man serving 48 life terms completes 22 years in Israeli jails
From MKO to Tondar, how Germany became safe haven for anti-Iran terror groups
Hamas open to any proposal aiming to end Gaza war: Hamdan
Role of private sector in Iran’s thriving space industry
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
