A Balinese priest has made a chilling prediction about the island’s volcano, Mount Agung, which has been spewing ash and smoke for months.
Spiritual leader Mangku Bon, who trekked to the peak of the erupting volcano in October to make a peace offering, told local news outlets he is ‘not sure the volcano will erupt’ any time soon.
While Mangku Bon said the volcano will continue to be ‘a slow eruption’, his predictions for the future were daunting.
‘The next explosion will be in 45 years (in 2062). The next explosion will be big like 1963,’ he said, news.com.au reports.
Spiritual leader Mangku Bon (pictured) predicted the next eruption in 45 years, and said it would be devastating
Mount Agung in Bali has been steadily erupting smoke and ash since October
Over 1,500 people died after the volcano erupted in 1963, when the huge volcano spewed ash 10km into the air and lava flowed 7km from the summit.
The priest, who the locals have dubbed the ‘guardian of Mount Agung’, said he saw a ‘giant hole in the crater’ when he climbed the volcano in October.
‘The earthquakes in 1963 were 100 per cent worse than the earthquakes we have experienced so far,’ Mangku Bon said.
‘If it is a big explosion, I am praying that it is not huge and that it will not destroy the world.’
Volcanologists believe the longer between eruptions, the more time a volcano has to build energy and magma
Mangku Bon’s revelations have been labelled as ‘astounding’, given experts believe an eruption from the volcano is imminent.
Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said the volcano remains at its highest alert level.
However, most of Bali is deemed safe for tourists.
Volcanologists believe the longer between eruptions, the more time a volcano has to build energy and magma.
Emile Jansons, aviation services manager at the Australian Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre told the publication the next eruption has the ‘potential’ to be devastating.
Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said the volcano remains at its highest alert level
Tremors increased again at the end of November and officials upped the alert and ordered another large-scale evacuation
Indonesian officials first raised the highest alert two months ago when a rash of seismic activity was detected at the mountain.
More than 100,000 people living near the volcano fled their homes, many abandoning their livestock or selling them for a fraction of the normal price.
The seismic activity decreased by the end of October, causing authorities to lower the alert level.
But tremors increased again at the end of November and officials upped the alert and ordered another large-scale evacuation.
Nearly 40,000 people now staying in 225 shelters, according to the Disaster Mitigation Agency in Karangasem.