National Disaster Mitigation Agency raised volcano's alert to highest level warning larger eruption is possible
The Mount Agung volcano on Bali has erupted for the first time in more than half a century. This has forced the closure of the Indonesian tourist island's busy airport as the mountain gushes huge columns of ash that are a threat to airlines.
Mount Agung has been hurling clouds of white and dark grey ash nearly 10,000ft into the atmosphere since the weekend and lava is welling up in the crater
Authorities say the new extension of the volcanic danger zone affects 22 villages and about 90,000 to 100,000 people.
About 40,000 people have been evacuated but others have not left because they feel safe or don't want to abandon their livestock.
'Authorities will comb the area to persuade them,' said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho at a news conference in Jakarta.
'If needed we will forcibly evacuate them.' About 25,000 people were already living in evacuation centers after an increase in tremors from the mountain in September sparked an evacuation.
Lava rising in the crater 'will certainly spill over to the slopes,' Sutopo said.
The volcano's last major eruption in 1963 killed about 1,100 people.
Villager Putu Sulasmi said she fled Monday with her husband and other family members to a sports center that's serving as an evacuation center.
Bali's airport was closed early today after ash, which can pose a deadly threat to aircraft, reached its airspace. Some 445 flights were cancelled, stranding about 59,000 travellers
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