Park bars tourists from volcano

Park bars tourists from volcano

INDONESIA: Volcanic rumblings have prompted authorities to bar visitors from one of East Java's most popular tourist spots after a nearby volcano erupted and killed two people, an official said on Saturday.

"Mount Ijen since Thursday has shown increasing activity so we decided to close the area for tourist visits," said MZ Hudiono, chief of the Alas Purwo national park that is home to the volcano and popular with Western tourists.

"There have been sulfuric rocks coming out of the edge of the crater and the fluid in it has turned from green to white and it has emitted hot foam. There are also increasing tremors."

Mount Ijen, 2,377 m high, is a drive of about four hours from Mount Bromo, which erupted on June 8, killing an Indonesian and a Singaporean tourist.

-- Reuters