Balinese volcano Mount Agung has erupted once again, with curious travellers being warned about getting too close to the crater.
The volcanic eruption occurred early on Sunday morning, and you can watch a time-lapse of it below:
https://twitter.com/DavidHe11952876/status/1119965065711693824
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the national disaster mitigation agency, said on Twitter that Mount Agung spewed and ash cloud as high as three kilometres in the air, but Ngurah Rai airport was safe and operating as per normal.
Gunung Agung kembali erupsi dengan tinggi kolom abu vulkanik 3.000 m dari puncak kawah pada 21/4/2019 pukul 18.56 WITA. Kolom abu vulkanik kelabu tebal, condong ke arah Barat. Lontaran material erupsi mencapai 2.500 – 3.000 m dari puncak ke segala arah. Bandara Ngurah Rai aman. pic.twitter.com/W0vSjmBz3B
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) April 21, 2019
Sebaran abu vulkanik erupsi Gunung Agung mengarah ke selatan-barat daya. Pantauan satelit Himawari mengarah ke laut. Hingga malam ini Bandara International IGK Ngurah Rai tetap beroperasi normal. Tidak ada dampak penerbangan. Kita pantau terus Gunung Agung dan sebaran abunya. pic.twitter.com/vuPPhoQ5Pa
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) April 21, 2019
Nugroho also said in a statement that it was “a normal situation of an active volcano and there is no need for the public to panic, as long as they remain outside the danger zone”.
“Don’t try to get closer to the crater to document the volcanic activity in the crater,” he said.
A Jetstar spokesperson told Travel Weekly that disruptions to its flights to and from Denpasar were minimal, with only a couple of short delays.
“Currently all flights to and from Bali are running on schedule. We will continue to monitor the situation,” the spokesperson said.
A Virgin Australia spokesperson told Travel Weekly that none of its flights had been affected, and that the airline is monitoring the situation closely.
A Qantas spokesperson told Travel Weekly there was no impact to the airline’s services.
Mount Agung wreaked havoc in June last year, forcing the cancellation of multiple flights between Australia and Bali.
Two other volcanoes that are tourist hotspots on the island of Java also continue to erupt.
