22 Apr 2019 | 04:45 AM UTC
Indonesia: Mount Agung (Bali) erupts April 21 /update 1
Mount Agung in Bali erupts on April 21, release ash cloud; no flight disruptions expected in near term
Event
Mount Agung in Bali erupted on Sunday, April 21, at approximately 18:55 (local time), spewing a cloud of ash approximately 6150 m (20,000 ft) high. After a brief period of escalated alert, the Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation kept its alert status at orange, the second-highest of four. The National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) also kept its alert status at a Level III of four categories and an exclusion zone of 4 km (2.5 mi) from the crater remains in effect. No significant flight disruptions were reported at Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) in Denpasar as of Monday, April 22. Further eruptions are likely in the coming days and weeks and flight disruptions cannot be ruled out in the event of a larger eruption.
Context
Agung is an active volcano on eastern Bali and eruptions have been ongoing since 2017. PVMBG has placed Mount Agung at level III ("Standby," the second-highest volcanic alert level on a four-tier scale), warning individuals to avoid traveling within a 4-km (2.5-mi) radius of the volcano crater. A ban on hiking at the volcano has been in effect since 2017.
Advice
Individuals in or traveling to Bali are advised to monitor the situation and anticipate flight diversions and disruptions in the event of a major eruption.
