Jakarta,
Nov 27 , 2017 (Antara) - After rumbling since August 2017, the
3,142-meter-high Mount Agung has finally erupted, forcing a temporary
closure of the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport located on the
world's most famous resort island of Bali.
The Indonesian Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center
(PVMBG) has raised the alert level of Mount Agung from three to four,
indicating eruption hazards on and near the volcano.
The alert level was raised, as the eruptions of Mount Agung have
shifted from phreatic to magmatic since a red glow was visible from the
peak of Mount Agung on Nov 26 at 9 p.m. local time, according to I Gede
Suantika, the mitigation head of PVMBG.
The magmatic eruptions produced thick ash rising to heights of between
two thousand and 3,400 meters from the volcano's peak.
Suantika has forecast that larger explosions might occur as is
indicated by the continuous ash puffs that are sometimes accompanied by
explosive eruptions along with a weak sound of boom audible in the
radius of up to 12 kilometers from the mountain's peak.
The danger zone has been expanded from six kilometers to eight kilometers from the volcano's peak.
People living within a 10-kilometer radius towards the north,
northeast, southeast, south, and southwest of the mount have been
advised to evacuate.
Villages located within the danger zone are Ban, Dukuh, Baturinggit,
Sukadana, Kubu, Tulamben, Datah, Nawakerti, Pitpit, Bhuana Giri,
Bebandem, Jungutan, North Duda, Amerta Bhuana, Sebudi, Besakih, and
Pempatan.
The danger zone can be changed at any time based on the condition of the volcano.
No casualties have been reported so far, and 40 thousand people have
left the area, though tens of thousands still need to move, according to
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation
Agency.
Volcanic ash dispersed into the air over the airport after the second eruption forced its closure for 24 hours from 7 a.m. local time on Nov 27.
Volcanic ash dispersed into the air over the airport after the second eruption forced its closure for 24 hours from 7 a.m. local time on Nov 27.
The Indonesian Transportation Ministry has issued a notice to airman no. A-4242/17 on the closure.
A
total of 57 international flights and 39 domestic flights were canceled
from Saturday until Sunday at 11:59 p.m. local time.
State-owned
airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I has confirmed that a total of 445
flights were canceled following the 24-hour closure of the I Gusti
Ngurah Rai International Airport, which is located some 60 kilometers
from the volcano.
Some 59 thousand passengers were affected by the flight cancellations,
Arie Ahsanurrohim, spokesman of PT Angkara Pura I office at the I Gusti
Ngurah Rai International Airport, said.
The
canceled flights comprise 97 international arrivals, 99 international
departures, 124 domestic arrivals, and 125 domestic departures.
The airport operator has prepared alternative airports to serve flights to Bali.
The
alternative airports include the Juanda Airport in Surabaya, East Java
Province; Lombok Praya Airport in West Nusa Tenggara; Sultan Hasanussin
Airport in Makassar, South Sulawesi; Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman
Sepinggan in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan; Adi Soemarmo Airport in Solo,
Central Java; Ahmad Yani Airport in Semarang, Central Java; and Adi
Sutjipto in Yogyakarta, Central Java.
The authorities have provided buses for transporting the stranded
passengers to the Gilimanuk and Padang Bai seaports, among other
locations, if they are keen on traveling to alternative airports by
land.
PT
Angkasa Pura I has arranged ticket refund services, flight rescheduling
services, a foreign consulate general counter, as well as Balinese
traditional music and dance performances to entertain the stranded
passengers.
The Bali airport authorities have arranged services, including
alternative means of transportation, for passengers whose flights were
cancelled owing to the closure of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International
Airport following the eruption of Mount Agung.
Some
four thousand meal boxes have been provided for international
passengers and two thousand others for domestic passengers who have been
stranded.
Meanwhile, Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika has urged the public to
stay calm and follow procedures outlined by the Bali disaster mitigation
office in the wake of magmatic eruptions of Mount Agung in Karangasem
District.
"I hope all residents of Bali, particularly Karangasem, would remain
calm and vigilant, as Mount Agung erupts," the governor stated here,
Sunday evening.
He
also urged people living in the danger zone to follow the government's
instructions, particularly those concerning evacuation.
To prevent casualties, residents of villages located in the danger zone
should stay at the evacuation locations, he noted.
Records
since 1800 reveal that Mount Agung had experienced four mega eruptions,
respectively in 1908, 1823, 1843, and 1963. The 1963 eruption killed
some one thousand people.
On
Oct 29, 2017, the Indonesian authorities lowered the alert level of
Mount Agung located in Karangasem district, Bali Island, from Level
4 to Level 3 and allowed thousands of Balinese evacuees to return home
after living more than a month in evacuation centers.
As for the island's tourism, earlier the local tourist office had ensured that despite Mount Agung showing increased activity, 98 percent of the tourist attractions on Bali Island remain safe for visit.
As for the island's tourism, earlier the local tourist office had ensured that despite Mount Agung showing increased activity, 98 percent of the tourist attractions on Bali Island remain safe for visit.
"According to information from the BNPB, 98 percent of the tourist
areas remain safe in Bali, even if Mount Agung erupts," Dewa Gede Ngurah
Byomantara, head of the Board's Bali Tourism Hospitality Division 3,
was quoted as saying on the official website of the Indonesian Foreign
Ministry in October 2017.
If the volcano were to erupt, only two percent of Bali's tourist
attractions -- Besakih, Tulamben, and Tirta Gangga -- would be affected.
"Kuta, Ubud, Nusa Dua, and Sanur are located far from Mount Agung.
Until now, we believe that the areas beyond 12 kilometers from Mount
Agung's crater remain safe," he added. ***4***
(f001/INE)
EDITED BY INE
(T.F001/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 27-11-2017
(f001/INE)
EDITED BY INE
(T.F001/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 27-11-2017
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