Bali Volcano Drives 150K From Homes

Jakarta, 30/09/2017 (MAP) – About 150,000 people on the Indonesian island of Bali have abandoned their homes around Mount Agung, a volcano that is showing signs of imminent eruption, officials said on Friday.

The last eruption of the 9,944-foot volcano, the highest on Bali, dates back to the early 1960s, destroying villages and claiming the lives of about 1,700 in mudflows and clouds of hot gases, lava fragments and ash.

The authorities have warned people located as far as 12 kilometres, or 7.5 miles, from the volcano to leave the area and seek shelter elsewhere.

Seismic monitors have recorded a sharp increase in subterranean activity near the volcano since mid-September, including a magnitude 4.3 earthquake on Tuesday.