
Bali's Mount Agung volcano erupted on Friday, spreading ash across the Indonesian island and forcing flights in and out of the airport to be cancelled.

The eruption happened on Friday night and lasted four minutes and 30 seconds, lava was seen spurting out of the crater and down the slope for three kilometres.

The Directorate General of Air Transportation said four flights to Bali were diverted and five flights out of the popular tourist destination were canceled because of volcanic ash.

Volcanic ash rained and affected villages in the nearby regions of Karangasem and Bangli, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Flights in and out of Bali airport have been cancelled after Mount Agung erupted on Friday night

The eruption happened on Friday night and lasted four minutes and 30 seconds, lava was seen spurting out of the crater and down the slope for three kilometres

No immediate evacuation was called as the villages are well within the safe zone, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency told the publication.

Indonesia's Center of Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) said in a repor t: 'The ash column could not be observed.

'Thundering sounds from the eruption were heard adequately strong from the monitoring post.'

Agung became active again in 2017 after more than a half century of slumber following a major eruption in 1963.

This is the third time the volcano has erupted this month, with the other two incidents happening on May 12 and May 18.

Volcanic ash rained and affected villages in the nearby regions of Karangasem and Bangli, the Sydney Morning Herald reported

No immediate evacuation was called as the villages are well within the safe zone, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency told the publication