Bali volcano: Indonesia disaster agency warns of COLD LAVA flows after Mount Agung erupts
BALI's Mount Agung has been spewing powerful mudflows containing rocks and volcanic debris, further raising concerns following the second eruption of the Indonesian volcano.
Bali’s government has warned locals near the Mount Agung volcano to stay away from rivers because of cold lava ploughing down the volcano’s slopes.
Shocking footage shows a lahar – a type of mudflow containing volcanic debris and water – powerfully flowing through a river valley near Mount Agung.
Despite having the consistency of concrete, the combination of water and ash can flow down river valleys at rapid speeds.
A spokesman for Indonesia’s Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) warned against going close to rivers near Mount Agung.
YOUTUBE
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho warned said on Twitter: “Watch out for lahar floods (cold lava) around Mt Agung.
“Lahar floods have already occurred in several places on the slopes.”
Lahars were seen flowing down the Yeh Sah River in Karangasem, according to Coconuts Bali and farmlands in the area had already reportedly been damaged by the mud.
A Bali police official said: “The ash released from Mount Agung was hit by rainwater and has now become mud in the Yeh Sah River.”
The BNPB reported that nearly 40,000 people have been evacuated from near Bali’s erupting Mount Agung volcano but thousands more had yet to leave despite the warning of an imminent large eruption.
Mount Agung latest pictures: Volcano eruption begins
Mon, November 27, 2017Indonesian authorities raised the state of alert to its highest level for the volcano, Mount Agung, after thick ash started shooting thousands of meters into the air with increasing intensity
Mount Agung spews volcanic ash into the sky at night on November 27, 2017 in Karangasem, Island of Bali, Indonesia
The Indonesia agency said: “Plumes of smoke are occasionally accompanied by explosive eruptions and the sound of weak blasts can be heard up to 12 km (7 miles) from the peak.
“The potential for a larger eruption is imminent.”
Mount Agung’s mounting threat forced the Indonesian Government to close the local airport, grounding more than 2000 flights and leaving thousands of tourists stranded on the island.
Bali airport has been closed and several major airlines have announced they are cancelling flights to and from the tourist hotspot due to the ash cloud.
Mount Agung last erupted in 1963, killing more than 1,700 people and destroying many villages in one of the most devastating eruptions in Indonesia’s history.
