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> 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. </s> next Image 1 of 2

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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> 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> 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> Villagers eat at an evacuation centre in Karangasem on the Indonesian resort island of Bali September 24, 2017. — AFP picKARANGASEM, Sept 28 — More than 122,000 people have fled their homes on the resort island of Bali, fearful that a rumbling volcano could erupt at any time, disaster officials said.

Mount Agung, 75 kilometres (47 miles) from the resort hub of Kuta, has been shaking since August and threatening to erupt for the first time since 1963 — a potential blow to the country's lucrative tourism industry.

Officials at an evacuation centre in Klungkung district said 122,490 people had left their homes, taking refuge at nearly 500 makeshift shelters or moving in with relatives.

Around 62,000 people lived in the danger zone before the evacuations, according to Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, but residents just outside the area have also left their homes out of fear.

Despite the significant increase in estimated evacuees, the government said it was prepared.

"In general the evacuation is going well, the logistics supply is sufficient for the evacuees' needs," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the agency spokesman, said Thursday.

This week Indonesia's national disaster agency has sent face masks, mattresses, blankets and tents for evacuees, who have also been provided with food.

Five mobile sirens have been installed in the danger zone to warn residents in the event of an eruption.

Around 10,000 animals have also been evacuated from the flanks of the volcano.

Officials estimate there are at least 30,000 cows within a 12-kilometre radius of the mountain’s summit, and efforts to relocate them are ongoing.

"We've set a target to evacuate 20,000 more cows from the affected areas," Nugroho said.

The animals are extremely valuable to the evacuees — mostly farmers — some of whom have refused to leave the danger zone, the spokesman said.

The Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said Mount Agung was highly active today, recording 125 volcanic earthquakes between 12am and 6am.

"If we look at the magnitude, it continues to increase, yesterday we also felt several quakes with the magnitude of three on the Richter scale," said Kasbani, head volcanologist at the centre who goes by one name.

Highest alert level -Elsewhere, the threat of a separate volcanic eruption on the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu prompted authorities on Thursday to order the compulsory evacuation of the entire island of Ambae, home to 11,000 people.

Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) said it was the first time in living memory that an island's whole population had been moved because of volcanic activity.

The Manaro Voui volcano, which last erupted in 2005, sent up a plume of steam and ash over the weekend, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency.

In Indonesia, officials have announced the highest possible alert level and warned people to stay at least nine kilometres away from the crater.

The airport in Bali's capital Denpasar, through which millions of foreign tourists pass every year, has not been affected, but several countries including Australia and Singapore have issued a travel advisory.

Mount Agung last erupted in 1963, killing nearly 1,600 people. — AFP </s> MORE than 120,000 people have fled the region around the Mount Agung volcano on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, fearing it will soon erupt.

Nyoman Parwata, an official at the disaster mitigation agency’s command post in Bali, said the number of evacuees has swelled to about 122,500.

They are scattered in more than 500 locations across the island famed for its beaches, lush green interior and elegant Hindu culture, taking shelter in temporary camps, sports centres and other public buildings.

The volcano has been at its highest alert level since Friday, sparking the massive exodus of villagers. Thousands of cows are also being evacuated. An exclusion zone around the mountain extends as far as 12km from the crater in places but officials say people further from the volcano are leaving too. Agung, which dominates the landscape in the northeast of the island, last erupted in 1963, killing more than 1100 people. It remained active for about a year.

Volcanologists say the recent dramatic escalation in tremors indicates an eruption is more likely than not, but they can’t say with certainty when it will happen.

“I would definitely be following the advice to stay outside the exclusion zone,” said Heather Handley, an assistant earth sciences professor at Sydney’s Macquarie University. The increase in tremors suggests an eruption is “imminent,” she said.

The mountain, about 70km to the northeast of the tourist hot spot of Kuta, is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia.

In case of an eruption, Indonesia plans to divert flights headed for Bali to ten other airports, including on nearby Lombok and the capital Jakarta.

Indonesia, an archipelago 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.

The imminent eruption in Bali comes after the Vanuatu government decided they could not risk people’s lives and so ordered the compulsory evacuation of Ambae island, which is home to about 11,000 people.

Officials last weekend raised the activity measure of the Manaro volcano to level four and on Monday declared an emergency. At first, they relocated people close to the volcano to other parts of the island.

WEIRD ERUPTION THEORY

AS BALI’S Mt Agung volcano continues to rumble ominously, the locals are blaming tourists for angering the ancient mountain.

A local priest reportedly said Mount Agung is wrathful because “bule” (white people) had sex and menstruated on the mountain.

“The climbers did that,” he said.

Despite the warnings, Australian tourists on holiday in Bali say they are not worried and not trying to rush home to beat an eruption.

Late on Wednesday, Mt Agung recorded its biggest tremor so far, registering at 4.3. Ten airports around Indonesia are being prepared as alternatives if the expected eruption causes Bali’s airport to close. But experts still cannot predict when the mountain will erupt.

It is more than 70km from the tourist hot spots of Kuta and Seminyak.

While many Australian tourist remain unaffected by the impending eruption, some have spoken of being woken in the middle of the night to evacuate their hotels.

AUSSIE TOURISTS DIVIDED

Rory Eastick from Newcastle said he was woken by his Indonesian brother-in-law at 11.30pm and told to leave his hotel in Tulamben, on the northeast coast of Bali, immediately.

“It was quite a worrying moment because it was at that time we realised everyone in our hotel had already left,” he said.

“Family staying in another hotel were kicked out and made to find their own way to safety.”

Monique Correia from Perth said she was also told to pack her things and evacuate.

“The lady from my hotel has just told us to all pack our stuff and evacuate and drive back to Kuta now,” she said.

However, other tourists are feeling more relaxed about the situation. David and Kellie Smith, from Redhead in Newcastle, are on their first Bali holiday with their two daughters and say they are not concerned by the possibility of Mt Agung erupting.

They have spoken a lot with locals who say the most concern rests with the villagers closest to the mountain.

Like many Australians spoken to yesterday by News Corp Australia at Seminyak and Legian, their travel insurance appears sound, should the volcano erupt.

“We are all covered. I have spoken to our travel agent and she said as soon as she gets notice (of any problems) she will email me,” Ms Smith said, adding that they monitor social media for developments. “If the locals are not panicked, we are not too worried at the moment.”

The family arrived in Bali on September 16 just as Mt Agung was rumbling into action and the next day took a day trip, with a guide and driver, to Amed where they had spectacular views of Mt Agung before it was on alert.

RELATED: Aussie inmates among those evacuated from a Bali prison

“Honestly, we haven’t been too worried. We have had people ringing us (to find out what’s going on) but from what I understand there is not too much drama,” Mr Smith said. They are due to return home on Saturday.

Melbourne man Brett McKenzie was at the Double Six beach yesterday while his three sons, twins Ryan and Jackson, 13, and Bailey, 11, had a surf lesson.

The family arrived in Bali on Sunday and Mr McKenzie said he and his wife had no reservations about coming, knowing that Mt Agung was stirring.

He said they had thoroughly checked the DFAT Smartraveller advice before coming and had travel insurance.

“It is one of those things, it is a force of nature, unavoidable. If we have to stay longer (if the airport closes) we have to stay longer,” Mr McKenzie said. It was about taking personal responsibility and being aware of risks, taking note of the expert warnings.

“Our concern is more with the local Balinese people. These people are subsistence farmers ... in the villages and nearby surroundings and their livelihoods are at risk. That’s where our concern comes from, more than ourselves,” he said.

Mr McKenzie said due care was needed to avoid any risks, adding it was important to take responsibility for yourself, should Mt Agung erupt.

“I think one thing we are aware of is the unpredictability of the volcano,” he said.

He said while his family would be interested to see the volcano itself, they were concerned not to be traipsing up the mountain just to take a look with massive relief efforts underway.

“You don’t want thousands of people running up there making it difficult for them,” he said.

Throughout the day on Wednesday hundreds of earthquakes were recorded within Mt Agung. Between 6am and 12 noon, there were 521 earthquakes.

EVACUATIONS IN PLACE

The biggest tremor recorded so far came at 1.19pm yesterday registering at 4.3.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from the 12km exclusion zone around the mountain and who are sheltering in evacuation centres further down the mountain.

And shops around Bali reported yesterday having sold out of advanced face masks with filters as people rush to ensure they are stocked up. Many people were buying in bulk, saying they were donating to the relief effort or intended to volunteer when the eruption happened.

And children, who are in shelters with their parents, are now being organised to attend schools closest to the shelters where they are staying.

Children who have fled from a rumbling Bali volcano to makeshift camps are being entertained by social workers with music pic.twitter.com/eyr4wPGZ8S — AFP news agency (@AFP) September 27, 2017

In the Karangasem district, volunteers were helping with classes for some of the thousands of children whose schools within the exclusion zone around the volcano are now closed.

“So far the children look happy and are enjoying themselves,” said volunteer Yenni Ariyanti.

“They do not look worried or sad. Hopefully we can continue to maintain their excitement and keep them in good spirits.”

Bali’s Governor Made Pastika has urged Australians that Bali is safe despite the looming eruption of Mt Agung volcano.

TRAVEL WARNINGS

It comes as DFAT updated its travel warning late today, noting the potential for widespread ash fall outside the declared danger zone.

The new travel advice says: “Past eruptions of Agung volcano have shown this volcano’s potential to cause significant impacts to the island of Bali, including the potential for widespread ash fall outside the declared danger area surrounding the volcano. Depending on the weather conditions at the time of an eruption, an ash cloud could affect flights and ash fall may impact Denpasar and neighbouring airports in East Java and Lombok, causing widespread disruption to the travelling public. Contact your airline or tour operator directly to confirm travel plans.”

At the Klungkung evacuee shelter, large numbers of people, from the volcano slopes, are living inside a large indoor basketball court and sports arena while others are in tents outside. There have been problems with the tents during rain and Mr Pastika said this was the biggest problem now facing authorities.

The agency handling Mt Agung says it is still not possible to say when it would erupt but that the potency was now very large.

“To our brothers and sisters from abroad, of course Bali still safe,” Mr Pastika said, adding that the danger area is within a 12km perimeter of the mountain’s peak. He said there were many tourist areas away from the mountain which were more than safe.

Mr Pastika spoke to News Corporation today as he visited an emergency shelter for evacuees in Klungkung, which is currently housing more than 3800 people.

“The biggest problem is if the rain comes so that's why we are trying to move them to traditional village halls. People living the tents can’t stay there more than one month,” he said, for health and sanitation reasons.

At the Klungkung centre, as volunteers cooked food for the evacuees in huge vats, a local library brought its mobile book truck to the shelter so the children could borrow books to read.

Nearby an extended family of 15 shares a 6x4m tent. </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> 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, an official said Sunday.

Indonesia’s Disaster Mitigation Agency said 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,” agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

The volcano, the highest point in Bali and located about 75 km (50 miles) from the tourist hub of Kuta, has been rumbling since August.

Officials announced the highest possible alert level Friday following increasing volcanic activity, and urged people to stay at least 9 km (just over 5 miles) 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 fled with her entire family, said.

The international airport in Denpasar, Bali’s capital, was anticipating the prospect of 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 neighboring provinces if the mountain erupts.

Flight disruptions due to drifting ash clouds are not uncommon in Indonesia.

Last year more than two dozen domestic and international flights to Bali’s neighboring resort island of Lombok were cancelled due to a drifting ash cloud from erupting Mount Rinjani.

Bali officials said the island is still generally safe but urged tourists to stay away from tourism spots located within the danger zone.

Pura Besakih temple, one of Bali’s most prominent temples which is located just a few kilometers away from the mountain’s slopes, has been closed to visitors since Saturday.

The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said the tremors grew more powerful Sunday.

“The mountain has not erupted until now. The earthquakes are happening less frequently but the magnitude is getting stronger,” Gede Suantika, a senior volcanologist at the agency said.

Indonesia is home to around 130 volcanoes due to its position on the “Ring of Fire,” a belt of tectonic plate boundaries circling the Pacific Ocean where frequent seismic activity occurs.

The volcano agency’s chief, Kasbani, said Mount Agung has a history of major eruptions that eclipsed recent episodes in Indonesia, including the 2010 eruption of Mount Merapi in central Java that claimed at least 350 lives.

The 1963 eruption of Agung killed more than 1,000 people and devastated many villages.

The 2010 Merapi eruption, which also forced hundreds of thousands of villagers to flee, was that mountain’s biggest since 1872. However, it was 10 times smaller than Mount Agung’s 1963 eruption.

“We hope this time it will not be that big, but we need to be prepared for the worst case scenario and prioritize vigilance,” Kasbani told Metro TV.
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.