Thousands Evacuated Near Bali Volcano Over Eruption Fears

Updated 9/25
More than 50,000 people have fled the region, according to the Associated Press, as an eruption of Mount Agung is now “imminent.”

Thousands of people are now living elsewhere on the island, or on the neighboring island of Lombok, with some staying in “temporary shelters, sports centers, village halls and with relatives or friends.”

According to officials, there is no immediate threat to tourists but should an eruption occur, Bali’s main airport, Ngurah Rai International Airport, will be forced to close.

Original 9/22
Thousands of residents and tourists have been evacuated from the region near Bali’s Mount Agung after tremors and smoke triggered fears of a pending eruption.

“There should be zero public activity within the specified radius in case there is an eruption,” Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of Bali’s National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) said in a statement this week.

According to the NDMA, there are indications that those tremors, which numbered 700 on Thursday and 200-plus on Friday, were caused by magma rising to Mount Agung’s surface. Authorities put out a level three alert for the area earlier in the week, the second highest warning level, and warned tourists to avoid camping within four miles of Mount Agung’s crater.

So far, 6,000 people and counting have been moved from the area.

At the moment, all flights in and out of Bali International Airport are on or close to schedule.

Agung, which is the highest point in Bali at 9,840 feet above sea level, last erupted in 1963 when approximately 1,500 were killed by lava and mud flow caused by the eruption.

Mount Agung is one of the more popular tourist attractions in Bali. Aside from camping and hiking, Mount Agung offers visits to two of Bali’s most famous temples, Pura Pasar Agung and Besakih Temple. The area is filled with souvenir stalls, particularly around the entrance to Besakih temple.