Mount Ijen closed to tourists

Indra Harsaputra, Bondowoso

The Purwo Alas National Park management has declared a red alert for Mt. Ijen in the border area between Bondowoso and Banyuwangi in East Java, and closed the surrounding area to the public due to intensifying volcanic activity.

Park director MZ. Hudiyono said the Volcanology and Natural Disaster Directorate had detected the increase in volcanic activities over the past week.

"We are taking this precautionary measure in order to prevent any more fatalities," Hudiyono said on Saturday.

He was referring to the government's failure to issue a warning prior to the eruption of Mt. Bromo near Probolinggo earlier this month, which left two people killed.

Apart from tourism, the 2,443-meter-high Mt. Ijen is popular among climbers. Sulfur quarrying has also been carried out there for a long time.

Hudiyono said the park management had assigned four field workers to continue monitoring the activities of the volcano, which last erupted in 1952.

The workers will man the two entry points to the volcano in Sempol village in Bondowoso regency and in Tamansari village in Banyuwangi regency.

"Despite the stricter measures, some local residents insisted on climbing the volcano to hold a ritual, while some others insisted on continuing their sulfur quarrying. We had no choice but to evict them," Hudiyono said.

Some local residents said they had become aware of unusual volcanic activity on Thursday.