A daring hiker risked his life by climbing to the edge of an active volcano in Bali to capture footage of the monstrous eruption in real-time.
Bali local Ikomang Giri trekked to the mouth of Mount Agung as it was spewing thick volcanic ash and stood dangerously close as he filmed the one-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
The extraordinary clip, taken on Wednesday, shows towering plumes of smoke slowly erupting from the Indonesian volcano while the hiker boldly films in awe.
Bali local Ikomang Giri trekked to the mouth of Mount Agung as it was spewing thick volcanic ash and stood dangerously close as he filmed the one-in-a-lifetime spectacle
The man appears to be standing right above the heart of Mount Agung as the volcanic lava threatens to explode from its fiery depths.
Balinese officials have condemned the man’s perilous hiking trip into the red zone, local media reports.
‘Very dangerous because it can suddenly erupt,’ a spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency said.
Mr Giri’s footage attracted a flood of comments and has been viewed over 800,000 times since he shared it to Facebook.
The man appears to be standing right above the heart of Mount Agung as the volcanic lava threatens to explode from its fiery depths
Balinese officials have condemned the man’s perilous hiking trip into the red zone, local media reports
Mount Agung (pictured) rumbled back to life in September and has been slowly spewing out thick volcanic ash
Many commenters berated the man in Indonesian for flirting with danger, while others expressed amazement.
‘Be careful… don’t be too reckless,’ one man wrote.
Dark clouds of ash have been seeping out of the volcano for weeks on end, wreaking chaos on the Indonesian holiday island.
Mount Agung rumbled back to life in September, forcing the evacuation of 140,000 people living nearby.
Dark clouds of ash have been seeping out of the volcano for weeks on end, making for spectacular views on the Indonesian holiday island
Mount Agung rumbled back to life in September, forcing the evacuation of 140,000 people living nearby
Mount Agung’s crater is now more than one-third full, which means a violent eruption remains likely
More than 40,000 local residents have been evacuated from the danger sector surrounding Mount Agung, forced to live in temporary shelters until the rising magma either subsides or, more perilously, blows.
Flights in and out of Bali have regularly been interrupted and cancelled, both due to the smoke and potential explosion.
Mount Agung’s crater is now more than one-third full, which means a violent eruption remains likely.