Mount Bromo's Status Raised to "Alert" Level

Pasuruan (Antara Bali) -  Mount Bromo in East Java is showing signs of increasing activity prompting the authorities to raise its status to "alert" level as of 8am on Tuesday, a local official said.

The administrations of all areas around the mountain have been informed about its mounting  activity,  M Yahya, head of Pasuruan district's communal unity and safety office, said here Tuesday.   

He said he had received information about the mountain's increased activity from the  East Java energy and mineral resources office.

According to the results of monitoring by the Geological Disaster Mitigation and Vulcanology Center's monitoring post in Ngadisari, Cemorolawang, Probolinggo, deep and shallow volcanic earthquakes were happening in the mountain continuously.

Volcanic tremors had also been recorded since last November 8.. Based on data collected through instrumental and visual monitoring that were analysed, the danger status of the mountain had been raised to one notch closer to the highest level as of 8am on Tuesday.

The level would be raised or lowered depending on the activity of the mountain which was being  continuously monitored.

In view of the prevailing conditions,  people or visitors are prohibited to get close to the mountain's top and may only go as far as a radius of three kilometers from the peak.

The 2329 meter high mountain is located in Probolinggo, East Java. The mountain has erupted three times in the 20th century with the biggest recorded in 1974 and the last on June 8, 2004, marked by freatic explosions producing smoke as high as 3,000 meter from the crater leaving two people dead and five wounded.

The mountain's eruption in 2004 lasted very shortly marked by freatic explosions with unclear initial signs.

Mount Bromo is well known among both domestic and foreign tourists.(*)