Bali: fears of volcanic eruption after 5.7-magnitude tremor strikes

Authorities evacuate the area around Mount Agung, a well-known hiking destination for tourists, following a powerful tremor nearby

21 September 2017, 11:52am

1 min read

Bali's highest volcano Mt Agung (Photo: Phil Hill Travel Photographer)

Fears of a volcanic eruption on the Indonesian island of Bali have been triggered by a large earthquake nearby.

According to the US Geological Survey, a 5.7-magnitude tremor was detected in the Java Sea late on Wednesday, at a depth of 589km.

Officials had already widened an evacuation zone around the 3,000m-high Mount Agung volcano earlier in the week, according to reports.

Seismic activity around the mountain increased greatly on Monday, forcing authorities to put residents on high alert and to evacuate those within 7.5km of the volcano, according to ABC.

Mount Agung, a popular hiking destination for tourists last erupted over 50 years ago, killing at least 1000 people.

Governor Made Mangku Pastika said : “This is a natural disaster, we cannot avoid it, we can't stop it exploding but we can reduce the number of victims and losses. We are prepared, I believe we can handle everything.”