People within 10km told to evacuate as explosive eruptions send ash 4,000 metres into atmosphere

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Indonesian authorities have raised the alert for a Bali volcano to the highest level, closed the island’s airport and ordered people within 10km (six miles) to evacuate.

Mount Agung erupted on Saturday evening and three times early Sunday, lighting its cone with an orange glow and sending ash 4,000 metres into the atmosphere.

The national board for disaster management said Bali’s international airport had closed for 24 hours and authorities would consider reopening it on Tuesday after evaluating the situation.

Bali volcano: will Mount Agung erupt and what happens if it does? Read more

About 25,000 people living near the mountain have already left their homes and evacuated since Mount Agung first started to spew smoke on Tuesday.

“Continuous ash puffs are sometimes accompanied by explosive eruptions accompanied by a weak sound of boom,” the national board for disaster management wrote on Facebook. “The rays of fire are increasingly observed at night. This indicates the potential for a larger eruption is imminent.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Balinese Hindus take part in a ceremony, where they pray near Mount Agung in hope of preventing a volcanic eruption. Photograph: Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP/Getty Images

The national disaster agency spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, called for people to stay calm.

“Bali’s airport has indeed been closed. We’re still coordinating the next steps,” airport spokesman Arie Ahsanurrohim said.

The Geological agency head, Kasbani, who goes by one name, said the alert level was raised at 6am on Monday because the volcano had shifted from steam-based eruptions to magmatic eruptions. However he said he was still not expecting a major eruption.



“We don’t expect a big eruption but we have to stay alert and anticipate,” he said.

Adam Harvey (@adharves) #Bali now. Not what you want to see when you arrive at the airport. pic.twitter.com/dIZCbzoN2E

Indonesia’s Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation raised its aviation colour code from orange to red, indicating a further eruption with significant emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere was imminent.

Australian airline Jetstar cancelled all flights in and out of Bali due to the ash cloud around the Mount Agung volcano. The decision on Monday was made on safety grounds and overturned earlier expectations that flights would go ahead.

“While these disruptions are frustrating, we will always put safety before schedule,” the carrier said in a statement. Virgin Australia was expected to follow suit.

Jetstar said it would update passengers around 7pm AEDT based on advice from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre.

Michael Bachelard (@mbachelard) Huge ash cloud over Mt Agung in Bali is stopping flights just as schoolies gets underway pic.twitter.com/UqE5dBUZfN

An exclusion zone extending 7.5km from the crater remains in place following the evacuation of more than 185,000 people after an eruption in September, and authorities have warned anyone remaining within it to leave the area. About 25,000 to 30,000 people were reportedly still unable to return home.

The September eruption was the first sign of activity by Mount Agung in more than 50 years and prompted the highest alert level. In 1963 a major eruption killed about 1,100 people.

Quick guide Mount Agung eruption Show Hide Where is the volcano? Mount Agung rises about 3,000m above Bali's Karangasem district, in the island's east. Bali lies within the so-called Pacific ring of fire, an area of high seismic and volcanic activity where thousands of tremors occur each year.

Has it erupted before? Mount Agung's last major eruption in 1963 killed about 1,100 people and razed many villages. More than 50,000 Indonesians were evacuated in September this year when experts warned an eruption was imminent. About 25,000 people have been unable to return to their homes since then. What is happening this time? 21 November – a minor eruption sent a plume of ash and steam rising about 700m. Volcanologists said it was caused by magma heating water (phreatic eruption). No alert was issued.



25 November – three minor eruptions sent a plume rising 4,000m and coated nearby villages in a layer of ash. An exclusion zone of 7.5km was put in place and some flights were diverted or cancelled.



26 November – Indonesia's Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation updated to code red, predicting a further eruption with significant volcanic ash. Some flights were cancelled. Experts said the eruption was being driven by magma rather than steam.



27 November – Indonesian authorities raised the alert to the highest level and ordered people within 10km to leave as experts warned of an imminent risk of a larger eruption. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said the ash plume had risen to 9,144m. Denpasar airport was closed for 24 hours. How long will it last? Australia's BOM expects eruptions and ash to continue for at least 24 hours. Indonesian government volcanologist Gede Suantika estimates Agung could spew ash for at least a month. Photograph: Made Nagi/EPA

The volcano is Bali’s highest peak and a popular hiking destination for tourists, who have been warned to stay away for now. Several villages that rely on the tourism trade are within the exclusion zone and fear for the economic impact on their livelihoods.