Tourists Banned from Celebrating Christmas

Members of the Disaster Response Team (TAGANA) observe Mount Bromo volcano as it spews smoke and ash as seen from Ngadisari village in Indonesias East Java province November 27, 2010. Mount Bromo is showing signs of increasing activity, prompting the authorities to raise its status to alert level, an official said.

Malang, Indonesia (News Today) - The Bromo National Park in Tengger and Semeru (TNBTS) banned tourists and other people to celebrate Christmas and New Year in the vicinity of Mount Bromo. Head of administrative affairs of TNBTS Suwasto said on Tuesday the fact that the activity of Mt Bromo was still high in the last few days prompted the local security authorities to remind people that the area was still dangerous to visit.

"There was a plan to open the place after the mountain’s status had been lowered to alert, but at present the activity of the volcano was still high, and the gushes have even reached an altitude of 1,500 meters, and the condition is therefore too prone to visits," Suwasto said at the TNBTS office in Malang, East Java.

Suwasto said the still ongoing tectonic quake although with a low intensity made the TNBTS to avoid taking risks, because Bromo was still labile. "Bromo has gushed volcanic material to an altitude of 1,500 meters, as well as ashes mixed with small stone particles into the direction of the south or Lumajang," he said.

In the meantime, according to data from the TNBTS, outside a radius of 2 kilometers from the crater it is safe to visit Bromo. Suwasto said however, TNBTS will make an evaluation of the situation in January 2011, to decide whether or not the area is safe for tourist visits.

"Before the activity of the mountain is stable and its status lowered to beware, Bromo will not be reopened for the public or tourists," he said. Mt Bromo had a beware status from Nov 24 to Dec Desember, 2010, but later the status was lowered to alert. The status of the mountain which has a height of 3,932 meters from sea level was lowered to alert on Dec 6.

Source : kompas

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