Bali volcano: Exclusion zone reduced as two men arrested for climbing mountain
Indonesia shrank the exclusion zone around a grumbling volcano on the resort island of Bali today after fears of an imminent eruption, allowing farmers to return to their homes.
Hiker captures incredible footage from inside erupting volcano
The 10,000-feet high Mount Agung remains on alert for a major eruption, but officials said the danger zone around the crater would be reduced to four-mile radius from six miles.
“Mount Agung remains in an eruption phase and could affect settlements. All parties are urged to remain cautious,” Agung Pribadi, press relations officer at the natural resources ministry, said in a statement.
The volcano has been spewing lava and ash since late November, when authorities raised the alert status to the highest.
Mount Agung remains in an eruption phase
Bali airport was closed for three days, leaving thousands of tourists stranded and prompting others to cancel their year-end holiday plans.
Two Australian men have been arrested for trying to climb the volcano.
Father-of-one Rick Tonacia and his friend Jack Dennard from New South Wales were stopped after being found inside the exclusion zone today.
They face serious penalties for ignoring warnings from police.
It is thought that the pair started climbing the volcano about 2am today and they were arrested when they came down eight hours later.
An exclusion zone around Mount Agung has been in place since the volcano began erupting.
The men allegedly told police they were unaware of the exclusion laws when they made the decision to climb the volcano.