Indonesia’s disaster agency hit out at the two foolhardy 'foreigners' who ignored a three-mile exclusion zone to climb up the side of Bali’s notorious Mount Agung
RECKLESS backpackers have been slammed for putting their lives on the line by posing on the edge of an active volcano which erupted just THREE DAYS ago.
Indonesia’s disaster agency hit out at the two foolhardy "foreigners" who ignored a well-signed three-mile exclusion zone to climb Bali’s notorious Mount Agung.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency boss Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of the pair sitting on the very edge of the deadly crater.
“Even though any activities are already forbidden in a radius of four kilometers from the crater, there are still tourists and tour guides that are reckless and are going to the crater," he wrote.
"It’s extremely dangerous because Mount Agung could erupt at any time."
The volcano is now at level three alert level - or standby status - as set by experts at Indonesia’s volcanology centre.
It erupted early on Sunday morning, sending a cloud of thick volcanic ash cmore than a mile into the skies.
Flights in and out of Bali were delayed on Sunday night following the shocking eruption.
"This a normal situation of an active volcano and there is no need for the public to panic, as long as they remain outside the danger zone," added Nugroho.
"Don't try to get closer to the crater to document the volcanic activity in the crater."
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes and volcano eruptions as the archipelago sits on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' which stretches along the Pacific coastlines to the west coast of North and South America.
Meanwhile on nearby Java, two other volcanoes popular with overseas tourists also continue to erupt.
Mount Bromo in East Java and Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta remain on standby, with exclusion zones also place.
