Thick gray smoke clouds reached a height of 3,400 meters
Indonesia on Monday raised the alert level to the highest level due to Mount Agung volcano on the eastern island of Bali, urging all residents of the areas between 8 and 10 kilometers away from the volcano, while officials announced the expansion of the exclusion zone to 85 km.
Indonesia's disaster reduction agency reported the rise of volcanic ash and occasional weak explosions from a distance of 12 kilometers from the top of the mountain. Flames of flame were also seen at night, suggesting a possible eruption of the volcano at any time.
Indonesian officials later announced the expansion of the exclusion zone around Mount Agung to 85 kilometers, and authorities urged residents living within this area to leave.
The volcano's warning has been raised to the highest level, said the expert on volcanoes. "We can feel constant tremors," he said.
The smoke from the volcano has thickened since Tuesday, and heavy gray smoke on Monday reached 3,400 meters, Indonesia's Disaster Reduction Agency said 40,000 people had been evacuated from areas close to the volcano, but tens of thousands more remained to be evacuated.
Officials announce expansion of the exclusion zone to 85 km
Close the airport
The airport was closed in the capital city of Denpasar, while the Australian government asked passengers to be very careful and follow the authorities' instructions.
The last time Agung mountain erupted in 1963, killing 1,600 people, the volcano returned to life again in September, prompting the authorities to raise the alarm to the highest level and evacuate 140 thousand people living nearby.
The volcano fell in late October and many returned to their homes after the warning level was lowered, but it was reactivated last Tuesday.
Mount Agung is one of more than 120 active volcanoes along Indonesia in the Pacific "Ring of Fire" in Southeast Asia, where the collision of tectonic plates (the solid rock layer that surrounds the Earth) leads to frequent earthquakes and dense volcanic activities.
