A “mini-volcano” in Lombok, Indonesia erupted Tuesday, sending clouds of ash into the air, halting flights in and out of nearby Bali, forcing hundreds of tourists to evacuate, and leaving hundreds more unaccounted for.
According to AP, more that 1,000 local and foreign tourists were in the area to climb Mount Rinjani, a popular activity in this region. The volcano that erupted, Mount Barujari, is a subvolcano of this famous peak.
Most were evacuated quickly with the help of rescue workers, but many ignored warnings to descend and stayed behind to photograph and film the eruption.
Officials have warned tourists in the past to stay at least three kilometers from the summit, as Indonesia, located between the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Alpide Belt, experiences some of the world’s most frequent seismic activity.
Rescuers on Mount Barujari were originally looking for at least 389 tourists. 120 have now descended and been accounted for, but over 250 more are still missing. No injuries have been reported.
Indonesian officials have not released any information as to the nationalities of those unaccounted for.
