1,44,000 flee as Bali volcano spew steam and sulphurous fumes

A rumbling volcano on the holiday island of Bali is spewing steam and sulphurous fumes with more intensity, heightening fears of an eruption, as officials said the number of evacuees had topped 1,44,000

A rumbling volcano on the holiday island of Bali is spewing steam and sulphurous fumes with more intensity, heightening fears of an eruption, as officials said the number of evacuees had topped 1,44,000. Mount Agung, 75 km from the resort hub of Kuta, has been shaking since August.

Balinese take shelter in a safe place in Tanah Ampo village on the island of Bali. Pic/AFP

The Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said on Friday that remote satellite sensing had picked up new steam emissions and thermal areas within the crater. White steam clouds, which contain sulphurous fumes, have been observed rising 50 to 200 metres above the summit, the centre said. "At this moment, the probability of an eruption is higher than the probability of no eruption; however, the probability may change," said Kasbani, the centre's head volcanologist.

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