Tourists advised not to visit Tangkuban Parahu crater

Arya Dipa, The Jakarta Post, Bandung, West Java | Archipelago | Fri, February 22 2013, 2:50 PM

As Mount Tangkuban Parahu near Bandung in West Java has been spewing volcanic ash from its Ratu crater, the Bandung-based Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG) advised tourists not to visit the site.

According to a report from the PVMBG's rapid response unit, the crater's volcanic activity had left 1 millimeter of volcanic ash around the rim of the crater.

PVMBG head Surono said the advisory issuance was released after the agency raised the volcano's status level from normal to alert on Thursday at 10:30 p.m. local time.

“We recommend that tourists and climbers not venture within 1.5 kilometers of the crater,” Surono said via email on Friday.

Increased volcanic activity was normal in an active volcano with an open crater such as Mt. Tangkuban Parahu, Surono said. “But it's the first time that Mt. Tankuban Parahu has displayed such a phenomenon,” he added. (rkh)