Bali under state of emergency, Mount Agung eruption imminent

Thousands of people on the Indonesian island of Bali have been evacuated from their homes amid fears that Mount Agung could erupt for the first time in over 50 years.

WORLD ( Bali, Indonesia ) : EXPRESS reports that Bali is in a state of emergency over fears the island’s highest volcano Mount Agung is on the brink of erupting. Governor I Made Mangku Pastika ordered provincial, district and municipal governments in Bali to take steps to provide assistance to people who have been evacuated from their homes in recent weeks. In the letter he issued, the state of emergency would run from September 29 to October 12, which can be extended or shortened over the two-week period. Local governments in the Ring of Fire region will be able to disburse funds to pay for the 140,000 evacuees who fled in anticipation of Agung erupting for the first time since 1963. Bali Province Protocol Bureau spokesman Dewa Gede Mahendra Putra said that shelters and basic needs can be adequately provided.

The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation raised the volcano alert to 4, meaning an eruption could happen at any time.