Indonesians flee Bali ahead of volcanic eruption

Nearly 100,000 people have evacuated part of Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali as a volcano threatens to erupt, according to officials. Villagers residing around Mount Agung on the island’s northeast side first began to flee the area last week when authorities raised the volcano’s alert status to the highest level. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency on Wednesday said more than 96,000 people have now left the region. Many of the evacuees have sought shelter elsewhere on the island, including in sports venues and village halls. Indonesia’s disaster agency said a monitoring center recorded more than 800 earthquakes by Wednesday and observed thin smoke rising 160 feet above the crater. Mount Agung is one of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The volcano last erupted in 1963, killing more than 1,100 people. “This is the heaviest test of my life, and hopefully it will end soon,” said Ketut Suliasih, a resident of the village of Selat, 4 miles from the volcano’s summit. Officials said the volcano poses no immediate threat to the tourist hotspot of Kuta, a village some 45 miles northeast of the mountain. But ashfall from the eruption could force Bali’s international airport to close. The Ministry of Transport said it is ready to deploy 100 buses to take stranded tourists off the island.