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Thousands of villagers on the Indonesian resort island of Bali are sheltering in sports centers, village halls and with relatives, fearing Mount Agung will erupt for the first time in more than half a century.

Authorities raised the volcano's alert status to the highest level Friday following a "tremendous increase" in seismic activity. It last erupted in 1963, killing 1,100 people.

Villager Made Suda says he left overnight with 25 family members to stay in the Klungkung sports center.

He said Saturday: "I feel grief and fear, feel sad about leaving the village and leaving four cows."

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said no-one should be within 9 kilometers (6 miles) of the crater and within 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) to the north, northeast, southeast and south-southwest.</s>Balinese worshippers look at Mount Agung, enshrouded by clouds, from the gate of Penataran Agung Lempuyang temple, a day after the volcano's alert status was raised to the highest level in Bali September 23, 2017. — Reuters pic JAKARTA, Sept 24 — Indonesia has raised an alert for a volcano on the island of Bali to its highest level amid warnings of a possible eruption that could threaten air travel and tourism.

An increase in volcanic activity at Mount Agung, in the island’s east, prompted authorities to raise the alert level on Friday evening, warning that an eruption was imminent. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said an evacuation had been ordered, affecting thousands of people living within a 12-kilometre radius from the volcano.

While Bali’s international airport remains open, the Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation said earthquake activity had been “increasing rapidly” and a small hotspot had been detected although no ash cloud was visible. A spokeswoman for Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd. said its meteorology team was monitoring activity but services had not been affected.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued travel advice Friday, warning of recent increased volcanic activity. The advice, via its Smartraveller website, said an eruption of Mount Agung could impact air travel in the region. — Bloomberg</s>Officials tell people to stay at least 9km away from Mount Agung, which has been rumbling since August.

More than 34,000 people have fled from a rumbling volcano on the resort island of Bali as the magnitude of tremors grows, prompting fears it could erupt for the first time in more than 50 years.

Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency said on Sunday the number of people fleeing their homes surrounding the volcano had tripled since Friday amid growing alarm that Mount Agung could erupt at any moment.

"The evacuation process is ongoing and we expect the number of evacuees to continue to rise," the agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told AFP news agency.

The volcano, located about 75km from the tourist hub of Kuta, has been rumbling since August.

Officials announced the highest possible alert level on late Friday following the increasing volcanic activities and urged people stay at least 9km away from the crater.

"I am actually very worried to leave, I left my cows and pigs at home because we were ordered to vacate our village immediately," villager Nyoman Asih who evacuated with her entire family told AFP.

The international airport in Bali's capital, Denpasar, was anticipating possibilities of airport closure but no flight schedules had been affected as of Sunday.

The airport has prepared buses and trains to divert passengers to alternative hubs in neighbouring provinces if the mountain erupts.

The Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said tremors happened less frequently on Sunday but were stronger than in previous days.

"The mountain has not erupted until now, the earthquake happens less frequently but the magnitude is getting stronger," Gede Suantika, a senior volcanologist at the agency told AFP.

More than 1,000 people died when Mount Agung last erupted in 1963.</s>Karangasem: Indonesian officials raised the highest possible alert for a volcano on the resort island of Bali late Friday, after tremors prompted thousands to flee over fears it could erupt for the first time in more than 50 years.

Mount Agung, about 75 kilometres from the tourist hub of Kuta, has been rumbling since August and officials have recommended that people stay at least nine kilometres away from the crater.

Hundreds of small tremors have rattled the mountain this week, causing almost 10,000 people to leave their homes as of Friday over fears of a volcanic eruption.

"Tremors happen very often, so we are afraid and I have taken all my family members to the refugee shelter," villager I Wayan Suwarjana told AFP.

National disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho advised people to stay calm and not to believe rumours.

The airport in Bali`s capital Denpasar, a top holiday destination that attracts millions of foreign tourists every year, has not been affected but airport management is watching the situation closely.

The Australian government put out a travel advisory Friday instructing travellers to exercise a high degree of caution in Indonesia and follow the instructions of authorities.

More than 1,000 people died when Mount Agung last erupted in 1963.</s>DENPASAR, Indonesia: Thousands of residents were evacuated from villages near an active volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali, officials said on Friday (Sep 22), as the alert status was raised to the highest level, meaning an eruption could be imminent.

Authorities warned tourists and residents to avoid camping or hiking within a 9km radius of the crater as seismic tremors rattled some areas and smoke rose above one of the world's most popular tourist spots.

"Volcanic activity remains high and there are indications of magma rising to the surface and causing tremors," said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of the National Disaster Management Agency.

"There should be zero public activity within the specified radius in case there is an eruption," Nugroho said.

However, flights at Bali's international airport were operating as normal and there was little disruption to tourism operators across the rest of the island, authorities said.

Nearly 10,000 people have been evacuated so far and that number was expected to rise, officials said.

Others packed their belongings into trucks for evacuation, while more stopped to watch as clouds of white smoke rose from the crater, which is around 3,000m above sea level.

Indonesia straddles the "Pacific Ring of Fire", where several tectonic plates meet and cause 90 per cent of the world's seismic activity, according to the US Geological Survey.

Indonesia has nearly 130 active volcanoes, more than any other country.

A series of eruptions at Mount Agung between 1963 and 1964 killed more than 1,000 people and injured hundreds.</s>Mount Agung volcano is seen at the sunrise in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017. Indonesia officials have more than doubled the zise of no go zone around the mount Agung volcano o the tourist island of Bali and raised its alert level for the second time in less than a week. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities have raised the alert level for the Mount Agung volcano on the tourist island of Bali to the highest level, and more than 11,000 villagers have left their homes around the mountain, officials said Friday.

It was the third time in little more than a week that the alert level was raised. The Department of Meteorology, Climate and Geophysics said there has been a "tremendous increase" in the mountain's seismic activity, indicating a greater probability of an eruption, though it couldn't give a timeframe.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said no residents or tourists should be within 9 kilometers (6 miles) of the crater and within 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) to the north, northeast, southeast and south-southwest.

Waskita Sutadewa, spokesman for the disaster mitigation agency in Karangasem district around Mount Agung, said nearly 11,300 villagers have been officially evacuated. He said the real number of displaced might be two or three times that, since many have voluntarily fled their houses.

The agency says evacuees are staying in temporary shelters, sports centers, village halls and with relatives.

The 3,031-meter (9,944-feet) Agung last erupted in 1963, killing about 1,100 people and hurling ash as high as 10 kilometers (6 miles).

The mountain, 72 kilometers (45 miles) to the northeast of the tourist hotspot of Kuta, is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia.

The country of thousands of islands is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

More than 7,000 of the evacuees were in the 840 square kilometer (325 square mile) Karangasem district, which is home to about 408,000 people.</s>More than 35,000 people have fled a menacing volcano on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, fearing it will erupt for the first time in more than half a century as increasing tremors rattle the region.

The numbers Sunday from disaster officials are more than double previous estimates and are continuing to rise, they say.

It includes people who left voluntarily as well as those ordered to evacuate from a six to eight mile zone around Mount Agung.

Authorities raised the volcano's alert status to the highest level Friday following a "tremendous increase" in seismic activity. Its last eruption in 1963 killed 1,100 people.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has praised the welcoming response of local communities on Bali to the flood of evacuees.

Thousands are living in temporary shelters, sport centers, village halls and with relatives or friends.</s>JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Nearly 10,000 villagers have left their homes around the Mount Agung volcano on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali because of a possible eruption.

Officials raised the alert status of the volcano on Monday to the second highest level and recommended people stay 6 kilometers (3.8 miles) from the crater, and up to 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles) away to the north, southeast and south-southwest.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said Friday that some 9,400 villagers have evacuated from their houses and were scattered in 50 shelters in the districts of Karangasem, Klungkung and Buleleng.

Mount Agung volcano is seen at the sunrise in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017. Indonesia officials have more than doubled the zise of no go zone around the mount Agung volcano o the tourist island of Bali and raised its alert level for the second time in less than a week. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

The 3,031-meter (9,944-foot) Agung, located about 72 kilometers (45 miles) to the northeast of the tourist hotspot of Kuta, last erupted in 1963, killing 1,100 people and hurling ash as high as 10 kilometers (6 miles).

Mount Agung volcano is seen at the sunrise in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017. Indonesia officials have more than doubled the zise of no go zone around the mount Agung volcano o the tourist island of Bali and raised its alert level for the second time in less than a week. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Indonesian evacuees sit at a temporary shelter in Bali, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. Hundreds of villages are staying at temporary shelters after evacuating from their homes as Indonesian officials had more than doubled the size of a no go zone around the Mount Agung volcano on the tourist island and raised its alert level on Monday. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Children play as evacuees rest at a temporary shelter in Bali, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. Hundreds of villages are staying at temporary shelters after evacuating from their homes as Indonesian officials had more than doubled the size of a no go zone around the Mount Agung volcano on the tourist island and raised its alert level on Monday. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)</s>Tourists on the Indonesian island of Bali are becoming understandably anxious after Indonesian authorities raised the alert level for the Mount Agung volcano to the highest level.. Locals have described the volcano as "starting to spit"."Of course it's going to explode," one man said from a rice field overlooking Mount Agung.Meanwhile, holiday-makers have been urged to be vigilant amid fears of increasing seismic activity and the possibility of a volcanic eruption.The volcano, about 72 kilometres from the resort area of Kuta, is a popular tourist destination and hiking spot. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency earlier said no residents or tourists should be within 9km of the crater and within 12km to the north, north-east, south-east and south-southwest.Locals and tourists alike have already begun posting about feeling earthquakes and tremors from deep below the ground as Indonesian authorities sweep a 12km radius from the peak, ensuring no residents or tourists remain in the critical-risk region., with one photojournalist describing inhabitants of Sebudi, a nearby province, "packing as many of their belongings as they can"."The villagers of Temukus felt quakes throughout the night and evacuated at one o'clock in the morning," Rio Helmi wrote.Helmi said that although the area felt lots of volcanic activity, geologists are concerned over a "lull" in the last few hours, which he said was "not necessarily a good thing".The evacuation of locals is a telling warning for tourists, with one British woman, Sammy Arkinstall, posting: "I'm too young to die".Ms Arkinstall's post was just one among a host from tourists who are either in the region already or supposed to be travelling there in coming days and believe their life could be on the line.Meanwhile numerous tourists, including Australian Dom Koudsi, have posted on Twitter airing their concerns over what to expect next."There would be urgent volcano warnings while I'm in Bali for the first time ... heart goes out to evacuees and fingers crossed I make it out," Ms Koudsi wrote.Playboy playmate Tiffany Toth posted she was "not so happy" about a volcano possibly erupting during her stay in BaliFans of the Miss September 2011 Playboy model have been sending her well-wishes and hoping for her safe return.Despite the anxiety, flights at Bali's international airport are operating as usual and there is little disruption to tourism operators across the rest of the Indonesian island. Airlines including Qantas are monitoring the situation.The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs issued an updated travel warning for Indonesia that said an eruption could impact air travel in the region."Contact your airline or tour operator to confirm travel plans," it said."Monitor local media reports and follow the instructions of local authorities. An eruption of Mount Agung could impact air travel in the region".Phil Sylvester from Travel Insurance Direct told news.com.au the most likely thing that could impact tourists' trips were volcanic ash clouds."Two years ago, there were volcanoes that blew ash clouds which meant that airspace over Denpasar was closed so people were stranded in Bali. That is mainly the type of thing that could happen. I don't think people should be particularly worried about being the victim of a volcanic eruption but they very well may be victims of interruption to transport."Indonesia's volcano monitoring body, MAGMA, warns Mount Agung's eruptions are characteristically explosive and effusive - resulting in deadly pyroclastic flows of ash, rock and lava."In case of eruption, the potential primary hazard that may occur within a radius of 9km is pyroclastic fall of size equal to or greater than 6cm," its website on Agung reads.But its modelling for some of the terrain around the volcano also shows such flows could cover 10km in less than three minutes."If an eruption occurs, there is considerable disaster potential," it warns. "People around Mount Agung also do not have enough experience to face the eruption because this volcano last erupted ... 54 years ago."Additional reporting by Associated Press</s>Bali - Thousands of villagers on the Indonesian resort island of Bali are sheltering in sports centres, village halls and with relatives, fearing Mount Agung will erupt for the first time in more than half a century.

Authorities raised the volcano's alert status to the highest level on Friday following a "tremendous increase" in seismic activity. It last erupted in 1963, killing 1 100 people.

Villager Made Suda said he left overnight with 25 family members to stay in the Klungkung sports centre.

He said on Saturday: "I feel grief and fear, feel sad about leaving the village and leaving four cows."

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said no-one should be within 9km of the crater and within 12km to the north, northeast, southeast and south-southwest.
Thousands of people on the Indonesian island of Bali flee from their homes due to concerns over Mount Agung erupting. The alert status for the volcano was increased to the highest level possible yesterday.