JAKARTA, Indonesia -- A volcanic eruption that rained stones the size of baseballs and blacked out the sun over the storied island of Bali has killed at least 150 inhabitants and injured 1,100 others, it was announced today.
The 9,700-foot Gunung Agung, or Majestic Mountain, erupted Sunday after a month of threatening rumblings. It destroyed 1,000 houses in a 22-mile radius.
The Indonesian Antara news agency reported from Den Pasar, capital of Bali, that the volcano spewed streams of flaming lava that swept along rocks as big as houses and cut wide scars through the surrounding forests.
Thick clouds of black volcanic ash rose high above the crater and spread over the paradise island, cutting visibility to five yards and making it impossible for aircraft to survey the scene in the first days after the disaster.
The lethal rain of stones struck the Karangasem district. Thousands of villagers fled to other parts of the island, which is about the size of Delaware. The government said yesterday a quarter of the island's million population was being removed from the danger zone.
