Thousands of residents were on Friday 22 September, evacuated from villages near an active volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali.
According to an official of Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of the National Disaster Management Agency, the evacuation was as a result of seismic tremors rattled some areas and smoke rose above one of the world’s most popular tourist spots.
The official said alert status for Mount Agung in eastern Bali was at 3, one level below the highest, and authorities warned tourists and residents to avoid camping or hiking within a 6km radius of the crater.
“Volcanic activity remains high and there are indications of magma rising to the surface and causing tremors.”
“There should be zero public activity within the specified radius in case there is an eruption.”
However, flights at Bali’s international airport were operating as normal and there was little disruption to tourism operators across the rest of the island, the authorities said.
According to the official, Nearly 6,000 people have been evacuated so far and that number was expected to rise.
Speaking with TVone, Mrs. Wayan Suarda, a resident in villages at the foot of Mount Agung said they were reluctant to leave immediately. Others gathered to watch the volcano.
“I’m here with my husband. We need to feed the animals so that’s what we’re doing first.”
Others packed their belongings into trucks for evacuation, while more stopped to watch as clouds of white smoke rose from the crater, which is around 3,000m above sea level.
Indonesia straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, where several tectonic plates meet and cause 90 percent of the world’s seismic activity, according to the US Geological Survey.
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