Bali authorities urge evacuees from outside Mount Agung volcano danger zone to ‘go home’
Only 70,000 people live within the 9km radius affected by possible eruption, meaning more than half can remain in their villages
More than 144,000 people have fled from a rumbling volcano on popular tourist island Bali, but officials on Saturday urged evacuees who live outside the immediate danger zone to return home.
Mount Agung, 75km from the tourist hub of Kuta, has been shaking since August, causing fears it could erupt for the first time since 1963 and triggering the highest possible alert level eight days ago.
But officials say the number of evacuees has grown too high, and only people who live within 9km of the crater should remain in temporary shelters or with friends and relatives further afield.
“There is no reason for people who live in the safe zone to evacuate. They need to go back to their village because they will become a burden,” Bali’s governor I Made Mangku Pastika said.
Only 70,000 people live within the 9km radius affected by Mount Agung’s volcanic activity, meaning more than half of the evacuees can return to their houses, the government said.
