Bali s Mount Agung spews 2km ash column

Jakarta Dec 8 (IANS) Mount Agung volcano in the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Friday spewed an ash column up to 2 km above the crater according to authorities.

The director of information for the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the eruption took place on Friday morning and that the ash cloud travelled in a westward direction reports Efe news.

Nugroho added that the alert level is maintained on orange (one level lower than the maximum alert - red) stressing that the ash did not affect the airport on Lombok island about 40 km from the east coast of Bali.

Mount Agung began a magma eruption on November 21 which forced the closure of Bali s Ngurah Rai International Airport about 60 km to the south of Volcano between November 27 and 29 due to the volcanic ash cloud.

--IANS
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