Marque Centeio

11/27/2017

In Indonesia, a volcano erupted killing at least two people, injuring 39, shut down bali airports, and stranding tens of thousands of people. The Indonesian authorities ordered a mass evacuation of people on Monday from a danger zone from the erupting volcano on bail that had forced the island of Indonesia airports to close, stranding thousands of travelers.

Mount Agung has been hurling clouds of white and dark grey ash about 9,800 feet into the sky and atmosphere since the weekend and the reddish-yellow glow of the lava is filling up the crater. The explosion can be heard from 7.5 miles away. Videos that were released shows a mudflow of the volcanic debris and water known as a lahar moving down the volcano’s slopes. The agency raised the danger zone 6 miles from what it was before and they’re saying they think another eruption is possible and to be bigger than the one they got. A spokesman told a news conference that the extension of the danger zones affected 22 villages and about 90,000-100,000 people. About 40,000 people have evacuated and some others haven’t left because they feel safe or don’t want to leave their livestock.

About 22,000 people were already living in evacuation centers after an increase in tremors from a mountain in September that started the evacuation. Suputo said the lava rising in the crater “will certainly spill over the slopes”. The last major eruption from this volcano was in 1963 killing about 1,100 people. Bali’s airport was closed early on Monday after ash, which can pose a deadly threat to aircraft, reached its airspace. Flights information boards showed rows of cancellations as tourists arrived at the busy airports expecting to catch flights home. Airport spokesman Air Ahsanurrohim said 445 flights were canceled, stranding about 59,000 travelers. The closure is in effect until Tuesday morning though officials said the situation will be reviewed every 6 hours.

Bali in Indonesia’s top tourist destination, with it’s gentle Hindu culture, surf beaches and lush green interior attracting about 5 million visitors a year. Some flights to and from Bali were canceled on Saturday and Sunday but most had continued to operate normally as towering clouds of ash were moving east towards the neighboring island of Lombok. Indonesia sits on the “Pacific Ring of Fire” and has more than 120 active volcanoes. “While the sun is shining and there is little sign of volcanic ash in the southern regions of Bali, evidence of volcanic ash at higher altitudes on aviation approach and departure paths has prompted the decision to close the airport,” Bali Tourism Board Chairman Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana said in a statement. On Sunday, Indonesia’s center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation raised it aviation alert notice to red, the highest level and the highest it’s ever been. In my opinion, I think the people of Indonesia and anywhere around it should just evacuate and not come back for a while until the volcano is situated.