Bali prepares to EVACUATE and DIVERT all tourists amid Mount Agung eruption fear
BALI volcano latest: Indonesia is preparing to evacuate and divert all tourists away from Bali amid fears of a Mount Agung eruption.
Bali volcano: Thousands flee as Mount Agung spews smoke
Bali is bracing for devastation as Indonesia’s National Board for Disaster Management warns the chance of the Mount Agung volcano erupting is “quite large”.
Mount Agung has been spewing plumes of smoke and ash since September 22.
Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency has extended the state of emergency declared for Bali's Mount Agung volcano to October 16.
Head volcanologist Kasbani said: "So far the activity of Mount Agung remains high, the alert level is on level 4 - the highest.”
Bali volcano latest: Mount Agung could erupt at any moment according to experts
Officials are on standby to divert flights away from Bali should the Mount Agung volcano erupt
Officials are on standby to divert flights away from Bali should the situation arise.
Flights will be diverted to 10 other airports in Indonesia, including Jakarta, Makassar, Surabaya, Balikpapan, Solo, Ambon, Manado, Praya, Kupang and Banyuwangi.
Transport minister Budi Karya Sumadi said: "The planes will be diverted to their nearest location or where it originally took off from.”
Indonesia has five large ferries on standby to evacuate up to 60,000 tourists if the airport is forced to close.
The volcano is being closely monitored by airlines, with 100 buses prepared to evacuate tourists.
Virgin Australia and Jetstar are taking extra fuel on flights from Australia, in case they need to turn around.
Bali volcano latest: Officials are preparing to divert tourists if Mount Agung erupts
Singapore Airlines offered customers the option to rebook or have their flights refunded, if they travelled between September 23 and October 2.
Indonesian officials insist the island is still safe for tourists, but locals in the area say tourism numbers have dropped.
One tourist who is staying in Amed, on the east coast of Bali, said he feels “pretty safe”.
German national Christoph Lange told AFP: "We've got like 20, 30, 40 shakes where you could feel the earth shaking.
Bali volcano latest: Virgin Australia flights are carrying extra fuel in case they need to turn back
"While we were diving we had quite a few. Under water you can hear it, it's pretty loud actually."
Mount Agung has been shaking since August, with the alert level raised to its highest on Friday last week.
Indonesia lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, straddling tectonic plates.
The volcano last erupted in 1963. Over 1,000 people were killed in the natural disaster.