With seismic activity at Bali volcano Mount Agung at one point reaching more than 1,000 tremors per day, an eruption is eminently expected.
Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the volcano is “very dangerous” and could explode at any time.
However Mr Nugroho said despite the still-frequent tremors, seismic activity was actually decreasing.
He said last night: “Mount Agung seismic energy continues to decline. The highest energy was September 22, 2017, when raised to Alert 4. After that it was downhill.”
Yesterday the Bali government extended the state of emergency on the island for the second time.
Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika first imposed the state of emergency on September 29 with plans to remove it on October 12.
The end date was then pushed back to October 16 and has since been extended further to October 26.
READ MORE: Bali volcano Mount Agung updates live
More than 140,000 people have already fled the area, with some returning to rescue livestock or tend to their farms despite the danger.
Mount Agung last exploded in 1963 when more than 1,100 people were killed in a rush of lava and debris.
Volcano sirens are currently on standby in the event of a deadly eruption.
Six sirens are primed to alert the region, according to the local disaster team.
The sirens have been erected in the so-called ‘yellow zone’, just outside the 7.5 mile evacuation zone.
A spokesman said they are each capable of projecting sound around a 2km radius, giving locals time to escape.
Despite the danger, desperate tourism chiefs have urged people to continue visiting the island, claiming only the region of Karangasem would be endangered by an eruption.
Bali’s Tourism Hospitality Taskforce said: “Local authorities have assessed that the main tourist areas of Kuta, Legian, and Nusa Dua, at present, do not face serious danger of any immediate impact in the event of an eruption.”