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Agung is preparing to erupt
More than 75,000 people have been forced to flee the danger zone, as the huge volcano looks like it could blow at any moment.
The Balinese volcano last erupted was in 1963 killing more than 1,000 people.
On February 18, 1963, residents began hearing loud explosions from Mt Agung which were shortly followed by a stream of smoke coming from the crater.
A week later, on February 24, lava began flowing from the volcano – travelling seven kilometres over 20 days.
The following month, on March 17, the volcano blasted lava and debris up to 10 kilometres which devastated nearby villages and killed 1500 people.
A further 400 people would die in the following months due to volcanic mudlow known as cold lahars and another eruption.
Archived footage from British documentarians British Pathé has been unearthed and shows the sheer power of the 1963 eruption.
Massive plumes of smoke can be seen bellowing from the volcano in the black and white footage as ash is ploughed into the atmosphere, as seen in the black and white footage.
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Agung last erupted in 1963
The video said many of the people who were killed by the volcano “were burned to death, because they were kneeling to their Gods, instead of deciding to flee”.
It comes as experts warn there has been heightened seismic activity around the volcano and smoke has been seen rising from it in recent days.
According to EMSC, an independent scientific organisation that provides real-time earthquake warnings, there was a magnitude 4.2 earthquake earlier today.
Recent data shows that Mount Agung experienced 844 volcanic earthquakes on Monday, and between 300 and 400 earthquakes by midday on Tuesday.
The 1963-1964 eruption of Agung through shocking archive stills
Wed, September 27, 2017
The February 1963 to January 1964 eruption of Mount Agung, was Indonesia’s largest and most devastating volcanic eruption of the twentieth century
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Archive footage stills of Mount Agung eruption in 1963
Indonesia’s national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told reporters on Monday that “volcanic activity is increasing, and tremors are being becoming more frequent”.
Indonesian authorities are preparing to divert flights to 10 airports across the country in case an increasingly active volcano on the holiday island of Bali erupts and disrupts travel.
Officials have warned that Mount Agung in eastern Bali could erupt at any time, prompting several countries including Australia and Singapore to issue travel advisor for one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.
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“volcanic activity is increasing, and tremors are being becoming more frequent”
“Ten airports will serve as alternatives for flights bound for Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport in case it is closed because of volcanic ash,” Transportation Minister Budi Karya said in a statement on Wednesday.
Authorities are also preparing ferries to help people leave Bali in case air travel is disrupted, Karya said.
Airports in Jakarta, Surabaya, and Lombok are among those being prepared to allow diverted flights to land.
Over 75,000 residents have been evacuated from near the volcano and fears of an imminent eruption have prompted some travelers to rethink holiday plans.
Mount Agung’s status was raised to the highest level last week and authorities have imposed a 12km exclusion zone around it. A 4.3 magnitude quake shook the area on Wednesday, indicating that seismic activity remains high, officials said.