Thousands stranded as Bali volcano alert raised to highest level
Agung
DENPASAR  Indonesia (Reuters) - Indonesia raised its warning for  Baliâs Mount Agung volcano  to the top level four alert on Monday  closed the holiday islandâs airport and told residents around the mountain to immediately evacuate  warning of an âimminentâ risk of a larger eruption.
A Balinese man sits as Mount Agung volcano erupts at Lempuyang Temple in Karangasem  Bali  Indonesia November 27  2017. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
Baliâs airport was closed for 24 hours from Monday morning  disrupting 445 flights and some 59 000 passengers  due to the eruption and the presence of volcanic ash from  Agung   but local officials said the closure could be extended.
âThe potential for a larger eruption is imminent â it said  referring to the visible glow of magma at Agungâs peak overnight.
Residents were warned to âimmediately evacuateâ a danger zone that circles Agung in a radius of 8-10 km (5-6 miles).
 Agung  rises majestically over eastern Bali to a height of just over 3 000 metres (9 800 feet). Eastern Bali is relatively undeveloped  with traditional rice paddies doting the landscape and the occasional budget resort  unlike the heavily populated southern tourist hub of Kuta-Seminyak-Nusa Dua.
 Agung âs last eruption in 1963 left more than 1 000 people dead and razed several villages.
Analysis suggested the threat should not be as great this time because âenergy at  Mount Agungâs  magma chamber is not as bigâ and with the ash column only around a quarter as high so far as the 20 km (12 miles) reached in 1963  said Sutopo.
Tourism business has slumped in Bali since September when  Agung âs volcanic tremors began to increase.
 Mount Agung volcano  is seen erupting from Lempuyang Temple in Karangasem  Bali  Indonesia November 27  2017. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
According to the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in nearby Darwin  Australia  there is âash confirmed on the ground at Denpasar Airportâ as well as ash at FL300 (which refers to flight level at 30 000 feet) in the vicinity of  the volcano .
Baliâs I Gusti Ngurah Rai airport  which is about 60 km (40 miles) from  the volcano   will be closed for 24 hours  according to its operator. A total of 445 flights - 196 international and 249 domestic - and 59 000 passengers had been affected.
Farmers tend their crops as Mount Agung erupts in the background in Amed  Karangasem Regency  Bali  Indonesia  November 27  2017. REUTERS/Nyimas Laula
The alert level on  Agung  had been raised to the maximum in September  but was lowered in October when seismic activity calmed. However  volcanologists now say the volcano has entered a new phase with magma now visible at  Agung âs peak  meaning a greater risk of a larger eruption.
DENPASAR  Indonesia (Reuters) - Indonesia raised its warning for  [TGT] to the top level four alert on Monday  closed the holiday islandâs airport and told residents around the mountain to immediately evacuate  warning of an âimminentâ risk of a larger eruption.
A Balinese man sits as Mount Agung volcano erupts at Lempuyang Temple in Karangasem  Bali  Indonesia November 27  2017. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
Baliâs airport was closed for 24 hours from Monday morning  disrupting 445 flights and some 59 000 passengers  due to the eruption and the presence of volcanic ash from   [TGT] but local officials said the closure could be extended.
âThe potential for a larger eruption is imminent â it said  referring to the visible glow of magma at Agungâs peak overnight.
Residents were warned to âimmediately evacuateâ a danger zone that circles Agung in a radius of 8-10 km (5-6 miles).
  [TGT] rises majestically over eastern Bali to a height of just over 3 000 metres (9 800 feet). Eastern Bali is relatively undeveloped  with traditional rice paddies doting the landscape and the occasional budget resort  unlike the heavily populated southern tourist hub of Kuta-Seminyak-Nusa Dua.
 Agung âs last eruption in 1963 left more than 1 000 people dead and razed several villages.
Analysis suggested the threat should not be as great this time because âenergy at  Mount Agungâs  magma chamber is not as bigâ and with the ash column only around a quarter as high so far as the 20 km (12 miles) reached in 1963  said Sutopo.
Tourism business has slumped in Bali since September when  Agung âs volcanic tremors began to increase.
  [TGT]  volcano  is seen erupting from Lempuyang Temple in Karangasem  Bali  Indonesia November 27  2017. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
According to the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in nearby Darwin  Australia  there is âash confirmed on the ground at Denpasar Airportâ as well as ash at FL300 (which refers to flight level at 30 000 feet) in the vicinity of   [TGT]  .
Baliâs I Gusti Ngurah Rai airport  which is about 60 km (40 miles) from   [TGT] will be closed for 24 hours  according to  [TGT]  operator. A total of 445 flights - 196 international and 249 domestic - and 59 000 passengers had been affected.
Farmers tend their crops as  [TGT]  erupts in the background in Amed  Karangasem Regency  Bali  Indonesia  November 27  2017. REUTERS/Nyimas Laula
The alert level on   [TGT] had been raised to the maximum in September  but was lowered in October when seismic activity calmed. However  volcanologists now say  [TGT]  has entered a new phase with magma now visible at   [TGT]  âs peak  meaning a greater risk of a larger eruption.