Mount Agung in Bali could erupt at any moment, experts have warned.
The volcano alert was raised to level 4 last week, meaning an eruption is imminent, and officials have been working tirelessly since then to evacuate locals.
Some 100,000 people have abandoned their homes already as they seek to escape the volcano’s danger zone.
In an ominous sign of what could be to come, shocking images show plumes of white smoke and ash billowing from the crater of Mount Agung.
The escaping smoke was observed approximately 50m above the peak of the crater, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (NDMA)
Increased levels of seismic activity under Mount Agung have led volcanologists to believe an eruption is imminent.
The NDMA reported it detected more than 800 tremors on Wednesday, with north of 1,000 occurring on Monday and Tuesday.
Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said: “The chance that an eruption will happen is quite big. But it cannot be predicted when it will happen.”
Photos coming out of Bali show the extent of the evacuation operation.
Shelters have been built, provisions handed out and livestock rescued.
Video footage shows children wearing protective face masks as they sit with their families and the few personal belongings they were able to carry.
The Balinese people seem to be making the best of the situation though.
A group of boys can be seen playing football, while other families gather to pray together.
Despite the threat of an eruption, the Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency has insisted the rest of Bali is “safe for tourism”.
A statement today said: “A radius of nine kilometres and 12 kilometres sound the notion was considered dangerous but the resort island was otherwise safe.
“Mount Agung is 71 kilometres from the tourist hot spot of Kuta and 32 kilometres away from centre of Ubud.
“Flights in and out of Bali’s international airport remain normal with 50,000 to 60,000 travellers in and out of the island every day.
“Nine alternative airports outside of Bali had been prepared for diverted flights if volcanic ash ash was detected.”
Mount Agung has not erupted for nearly 55 years, when a series of explosions killed about 1,100 people and injured 300 more.
The thorough evacuation process this time around should result in a much lower death toll if and when the volcano erupts.