Bali raises volcano alert to highest level: Officials

KARANGASEM: The alert for a volcano belching huge plumes of smoke on Indonesia's resort island of Bali has been raised to the highest level, officials said Monday, with fears a significant eruption could be imminent.

The exclusion zone around Mount Agung, which is 75 kilometres (47 miles) from the tourist hub of Kuta, has been widened to 10 kilometers, with people living in the exclusion zone being urged to evacuate."The volcano's alert level has been raised to the highest level," said senior state volcanologist Gede Suantika. "Constant tremors can be felt."

Huge plumes of smoke have



been pouring out of the volcano since Tuesday and Suantika said it was belching thick grey smoke as high as 3,400 metres (11,154 feet) early Monday.

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