43,000 People Evacuated Following Bali`s Mount Agung Eruption

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Bali Province Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) recorded that 43,358 people have been evacuated since the status of Bali`s Mount Agung was raised to alert, on Monday, November 27.

“They had to be evacuated considering that they live in regions that can potentially be exposed to the ash clouds, incandescent lava fragments and stone blocks, and heavy ash rain,” said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, Head of Information Data Center of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB)on Wednesday, November 29.

Read: Bali's Mount Agung Eruption International Flights Disrupted

The evacuation areas are spread across several locations in Buleleng District (5,992 people), Klungkung (7,790 people), Karangasem (22,738 people), Bangli (864 people), Tabanan (657 people), Denpasar City (1,488 people), Gianyar (2,968 people), Badung (549 people), and Jembrana (312 people).

Responding to the situation, Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika urged the residents to evacuate to the area in the vicinity of Karangasem in order to easily facilitate the evacuation process. Karangasem Regent I Gusti Ayu Mas Sumatri has officially announced the region to be under the state of emergency that is effective for 14-days from November 27 to December 10.

Meanwhile, Sutopo revealed that there are many uninformed residents staying in areas considered to be in danger zone refused to be evacuated. Other than reasons for maintaining their livestock, farmland, and house, many still consider the eruption as a spiritual event.

Sutopo called on the people to follow the recommendation of PVMBG following the increasing activity of Bali volcano Mount Agung.

M Yusuf Manurung