Bali’s Mt. Agung erupts, residents warned to steer clear of danger zone

Mother Nature: Thick smoke eminates from the crater of Mount Agung in Karangasem regency, Bali, during its eruption in 2017. The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA — Bali’s active Mount Agung volcano erupted on Monday at 5 p.m. local time, the volcano observatory reported.

The seismograph recorded that the eruption lasted for 1 minute and 12 seconds with a maximum amplitude of 23 millimeters.

Foggy weather prevented the observatory from measuring the amount of hot ash the volcano spewed during the eruption.

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation maintained the volcano’s alert level at siaga (watch): Level III of the four-tiered Indonesia volcano alert system.

“Residents, climbers and tourists should steer clear of the danger zone within a 4-kilometer radius of the crater. Residents who live near rivers connected to the volcano should also anticipate a secondary threat, especially when it’s raining,” the center said in a statement on Monday.