Indonesia Raises Alert for Bali Volcano to its Highest Level

The Consulate General of India issued a travel advisory after the Indonesian authorities placed the alert level on Mount Agung at level IV, the highest alert, with continued seismic activity in and around the mountain.

"It is estimated that about 62,000 people are living in the risky zone", he said.

A level four warning alert - the highest possible - is also in place.

The disaster mitigation agency said 48,540 people had fled and the number was expected to rise because more than 60,000 people lived in the danger zone.

Mount Agung is located more than 80 kilometers away from Nusa Dua.

The volcano last erupted in 1963, after lying dormant for around 120 years.

Bali is a popular tourist destination, particularly for Australians.

But officials are stressing the island is generally safe.

It's why authorities have spent the last several days evacuating more than 35,000 people from areas that might be affected.

For now, flights are operating as normal at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport, but officials have contingency plans that include taking travelers on bus and boats to airports on neighboring islands if Ngurah Rai had to shut, Nugroho said. Heavy rainfall over the tropical island further generated cold lahars, which are a horrific slurry mix of pyroclastic material, rock, and water, and killed a further 200 people.

Predictions about the potential eruption are based on the one in 1963, which saw the volcano expel large amounts of debris and extensive lava flows.

Mount Agung stands almost 10,000 feet tall, or about two miles above sea level, on the city's eastern shore.

Mount Agung is seen from a nearby village in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia, 24 September 2017. It includes people who left voluntarily as well as those told to evacuate from at least 9 and up to 12 kilometres from the crater, depending on location.

A man rests at one of the temporary evacuation centres. Others say they are selling their cows because they don't know when they'll be able to return. A government humanitarian effort is also underway with some 14 tons of aid sent.