Jakarta, 26 May
Some airlines have canceled their flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali following a volcanic eruption late Friday, authorities said.
Mt. Agung erupted for four and a half minutes at 7:23 p.m., spewing hot stones and lava up to 3 kilometers along the volcano's slopes in all directions, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.
According to the center, the height of the eruption column reached up to 5 kilometers and volcanic ash is moving southward.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told reporters in a WhatsApp group message that rains of ash have been reported in nine villages, and flames were seen at the peak of the volcano.
Air Transportation Director General Polana Pramesti said in a press statement that Bali's I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport has continued to operate normally, with air traffic controllers guiding planes so as to avoid any exposure to volcanic ash.
However, based on their own safety assessments, some airlines decided to cancel their flights, she added. At least four airlines have canceled scheduled landings at the airport and five others chose to nix departures.
"We will keep updating the situation," Polana said, stressing that the airport may be temporarily closed later if the eruption threatens flight safety.
The alert status for the volcano remains at level 3 on a scale of 1-4. An area within 4 km of the summit crater continues to be designated a danger zone, as it has been since a 2017 eruption marking the first in around half a century.
The 1963 eruption of Mt. Agung, which rises over 3,000 meters above sea level, killed 1,549 people.
Kyodo
