30 Dec 2018 | 10:59 PM UTC
Indonesia: Mount Agung (Bali) erupts December 30
Bali’s Mount Agung erupts December 30, belching ash and smoke into air and onto adjacent villages; authorities warn individuals to avoid traveling within 4-km (2.5-mi) radius of volcano crater
Event
Bali's Mount Agung erupted on Sunday, December 30, belching ash and smoke into the air and onto adjacent villages. The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) reported that the volcanic alert for Mount Agung is at Level III ("Standby," the second-highest volcanic alert level on a four-tier scale) and that individuals should avoid traveling within a 4-km (2.5-mi) radius of the volcano crater.
Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS), serving Bali, has not reported consequent flight disruptions; local authorities confirmed that the air around Denpasar, the provincial capital, was free of ash as of Sunday. Though PVMBG reported on Sunday that the risk of a larger eruption was "relatively small," further eruptions at Mount Agung and consequent transportation disruptions (e.g. flight delays and cancelations) are possible in the coming days.
Context
Mount Agung, the highest mountain on Bali (located east of Java), last erupted in June-July 2018, canceling dozens of flights.
Advice
Individuals in or traveling near the affected areas are advised to monitor developments to the situation and anticipate flight diversions and disruptions (e.g. delays and cancelations) in the event of further eruptions.
