Thursday 02 / May / 2024
Indonesia raises the alert to the highest level four on Bali's Mount Agung volcano and warns residents around the volcano to evacuate immediately.
As Mount Agung's menacing smoke continues to blanket the Indonesian island of Bali, there are fears the volcano could blow at any time.
Disaster experts raised the alert to the highest level on Monday (November 27), warning residents near the summit to get out immediately.
Officials say blasts can be heard several miles away and flames can be seen at the peak, pointing to a possible imminent disaster.
Bali's main airport has been closed and flights have been diverted since Saturday (November 25) after the volcano spewed ash and steam almost 5000 feet into the sky causing travel chaos for tourists on ground.
AUSTRALIAN TOURIST, JOE BENNICK SAYING: "We had planned to go back to Adelaide in South Australia this evening, we actually got here quite early but now we found that the flights have been cancelled."
It's the second time Mount Agung has erupted in less than a week.
The top alert level was been raised back in September leading to mass evacuations and travel warnings. But the volcano calmed down last month.
Now though, experts say it's entered a new phase and with fresh magma now visibly spewing from the summit the risk of a major eruption is mounting.
