Hundreds of dead birds have been recorded, scattered in the Balinese city of Amlapura, as Bali’s Mount Agung volcano threatens to erupt at any moment.

Mt. Agung, which is located in Karangasem, has been rumbling for the past month and an eruption is feared to happen shortly. The volcano is currently on the highest alert level and an exclusion zone of nine kilometers as been set from the crater.

The dead birds were first noticed by a gardener in Amlapura near the Karangasem Regency Public Works and Spatial Planning office on Monday. Amplapura, the capital city of the regency, is about 25 kilometers away from the volcano. Many residents have evacuated the city, but it’s been reported that some have stayed behind.

Here’s footage of the city, which seems almost deserted:

“Every night, the birds sleep in the tree. But strangely, the birds were dying,” Amin Basri told Tribun Bali.

While we can only wonder if the birds have died as a result of toxic gases released by the volcano, their cause of death has not yet been confirmed by the head of Karangasem’s Agriculture and Animal Husbandry department, Wayan Supandi.

Lab tests are currently being run on the birds at the Veterinary Center in Denpasar.

“From just looking in plain view, the temporary cause is due to weather changes around the city of Amplapura. From hot to rain and vice versa. Does it have to do with Mt. Agung’s activity? Samples have been take to the laboratory to be sure,” Supandi said.

Head of the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG), Kasbani, likewise said it could not yet be established if the birds’ deaths were connected to Agung’s increased volcanic activity.

“We do not yet know, whether it is related or not. The volcanic gases would still be far way. The incident is in the city and the radius is far from Mt. Agung,” Kasbani said.

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