MOUNT Agung in Bali has erupted for the third time in less than a month, blasting ash more than two kilometres into the air. Here is the latest news and live updates from Bali.
- Mount Agung erupted at 7.59am local time this morning
- VONA alert set at ‘orange’ but airports remain open
- Volcanic ash seen rising 2,100 metres today
- The 1963 eruption killed more than 1,100 people
- Volcano alert remains at the highest level in Bali
Bringing you the latest Bali volcano updates from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Magma Indonesia, the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG) and other official sources. (All times GMT)
10.57am: 'Pressure build-up caused Bali volcano eruption'Gede Suantika, head of the PVMBG, has said that increasing pressure with Mount Agung is causing the recent string of eruptions.
He told Reuters: “Sometimes it is hard for the lava and magma to come out, and when there is pressure, it will spew ash.”
Until the volcano started basting ash on Friday, its emissions since November 25 had been mostly composed of steam, though there was some ash mixed in, he explained.
10.30am: Mount Sinabung erupts in IndonesiaThe highly active Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra, Indonesia has erupted, blasting ash 3,000 metres into the sky.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of Indonesia’s disaster management agency (BNPB) said the volcano was hit by an earthquake lasting 762 seconds.
Mount Sinabung, which lies about 2,000 miles from Mount Agung, has erupted frequently since 2013.
10.09am: Experts monitoring Mount Agung have reported that the eruption and ash emission have now subsided.
10.01am: Bali airports remain open despite Agung eruptionFollowing the eruption, the Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) increased Agung’s alert to orange, though Bali International Airport and Lombok Airport are reportedly operating as normal.
Late last month, an eruption led to hundred of flights being cancelled to and from the island, leaving thousands of tourists stranded.
9.45am: Mount Agung erupts againThe eruption, which occurred at 7.59am local time on Friday morning, sent a huge column of volcanic ash 2,100 metres into the atmosphere, according to Bali’s disaster management agency (BNPB).
Devy Kamil of Bali’s Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG) confirmed that the plumes were indeed caused by an eruption.
“Yes, this was an eruption,” she told the Bali Post. “The eruption occurred twice.
“Shortly after the first eruption, a few minutes later, it erupted again.
“But until now Ngurah Rai Airport is not disturbed. Because the ash is still blowing west.”