President urges residents near Mount Agung to evacuate

President Joko Widodo has urged people living near Bali`s Mount Agung to evacuate amid warnings from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) of another larger eruption.

"There should be no public activities within a radius of 8 to 10 kilometers from the peak," Widodo stated here on Wednesday.

The president urged the public to stay calm and follow the procedures outlined by the regional disaster mitigation office.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), along with the military, the police, and related ministries, will provide support to the Bali Provincial Government to handle the magmatic eruptions of Mount Agung in Karangasem District.

The president urged the Ministry of Transportation to monitor aviation traffic for safety.

Volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Agung has posed danger for aircraft, the president noted.

In addition, the head of state explained that the tourists who were hampered by the closure of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali should be served well.

"I ask the Minister of Transportation, the Minister of Tourism, the Governor of Bali, and the district heads to handle the issue seriously. I am constantly monitoring the progress in Bali," Widodo remarked.

The Bali airport authorities have extended the closure of the airport by another day, until 7 a.m. on Thursday, following volcanic ash found in airspace near the airport.

"We evaluate the spread of volcanic ash and the direction of the wind every six hours," Arie Ahsanurrohim, spokesman of state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I?s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, earlier revealed here on Wednesday.

Based on the report of The Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) in Darwin, volcanic ash is spreading in a southwest direction and toward the airport at a speed of 15 knots.

The airport authority had not detected volcanic ash at the airport based on the paper test, he noted, but the volcanic ash can be found in the airspace near the airport.

On Monday (Nov 27), the Bali airport authorities had closed down the airport for 24 hours, following the eruption.

"The airport has been closed from 7 a.m. Central Indonesian Standard Time (WITA)," Ahsanurrohim noted.

Volcanic ash has covered the air over the airport at the second level, forcing the closure of the airport from 7 a.m. local time on Monday until 7 a.m. on Tuesday.

The Indonesian Transportation Ministry has issued a notice to airman no. A-4242/17 regarding the closure.

Based on data issued by PT Angkara Pusa I, 57 international flights and 39 domestic flights were canceled from Saturday until Sunday at 11:59 p.m. local time.

Mount Agung, located in Karangasem District on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, had again sent volcanic ash up to 1,500 meters into the sky.

"This is a phreatic eruption carrying ash material, but we are yet to analyze it," Kasbani, chief of the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, explained on Saturday.

The PVMBG recorded the phreatic eruption at around 05.30 p.m. local time, with the volcano spewing grey and thick black volcanic material.

He stated that the center could visually observe the bursts of the ash, which moved with medium pressure towards southwest, through three seismic stations in three villages

Source: ANTARA