[WATCH] Bali: Mount Agung alert raised to highest level possible

Authorities have issued the highest-level warning possible after volcanic eruptions from Mount Agung on the Indonesian island of Bali forced the closure of the main airport and the evacuation of thousands of residents.

Thick ash began shooting thousands of metres into the air above Mount Agung on Saturday, driving east and southeast along the archipelago, resulting in dozens of flight cancellations.

At Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali’s main airport, flights were cancelled for 24 hours from 7:15am Monday (local time), leaving around 59,000 domestic and international passengers stranded, according to the airport’s latest report.

“While the sun is shining and there is little sign of volcanic ash in the southern regions of Bali, evidence of volcanic ash at higher altitudes on aviation approach and departure paths has prompted the decision to close the airport,” said Bali Tourism Board chairman Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana in a statement.

The National Agency for Disaster Management issued a Level 4 alert on Monday, indicating the potential for another larger eruption and recommending no public activities within 8 to 10 kilometres from the peak.

Anyone within that distance of the peak was advised to evacuate.

(Photo: CNN)

On Sunday, Indonesia's Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation raised its aviation alert notice to Red, the highest level.

As of Monday afternoon, 40,000 residents had been evacuated from across the island while Lombok International Airport on Lombok, the island due east of Bali, closed temporarily, said Ari Ahsan, spokesman for Ngurah Rai airport. Flights from Lombok resumed early Monday.

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from their homes around the volcano in September, when the alert was first raised. At the time, an evacuation zone of 12 kilometers around Mount Agung was established, and travelers were warned to stay clear of the area.

The evacuation zone is based on the last time Agung erupted in 1963, killing more than 1,700 people and destroying many villages, some on the slopes of the mountain.

According to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, by Monday morning the continuous cloud of smoke had reached as high as 9,100 metes.

The first eruption came around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Bali's Regional Disaster Management Agency said. More eruptions followed and continued into Sunday, with a "medium-pressure eruption" in the early evening.

Balinese Hindus take part in a ceremony, where they pray near Mount Agung in hope of preventing a volcanic eruption on 26 November

"The volcanic eruption has now moved on to the next, more severe, magmatic eruption phase, where highly viscous lava can trap gasses under pressure, potentially leading to an explosion," Mark Tingay, a geologist at the University of Adelaide's Australian School of Petroleum, said in a statement Monday.

"The local authorities are extremely experienced in managing volcanic eruptions, and have the situation extremely well in-hand."

Ash fall was reported in the villages of North Duda, East Duda, Pempetan, Besakih, Sidemen, Tirta Abang, Sebudi, Bhuana Amerta in Klungkung and in some villages in Gianyar. Masks are being distributed in Bali and Pulau Lombok.