Bali volcano alert raised to highest level, airport closed

A view of the Mount Agung volcano erupting, in Karangasem, Bali island, Indonesia, early Sunday, November 26, 2017. The volcano on the Indonesian tourist island erupted for the second time in a week on Saturday, November 25, 2017, disrupting international flights even as authorities say the island remains safe. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesian authorities raised on Monday the highest level alert for a volcano on the tourist island of Bali, and ordered people within 10 kilometers (6 miles) to evacuate.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said Bali’s international airport had also been ordered closed for 24 hours, and authorities would consider reopening it Tuesday after evaluating the situation.

Mount Agung has been hurling ash thousands of meters into the atmosphere, which forced the small international airport on the neighboring island of Lombok to close on Sunday as the plumes drifted east.

Geological agency head, Kasbani, who goes by one name, said the alert level was raised at 6 a.m. on Monday because the volcano has shifted from steam-based eruptions to magmatic eruptions. However, he said, a major eruption is unlikely.

“We don’t expect a big eruption but we have to stay alert and anticipate,” Kasbani said.

Previously, the exclusion zone around the volcano ranged between 6 and 7.5 kilometers.

The volcano’s last major eruption in 1963 killed about 1,100 people.                        /kga