Bali volcano latest: ‘Eerie’ photos show ash-covered villages as smoke cloud reaches 9000m

Layers of ash settled on houses and fields on the Indonesian island after the eruption of Mount Agung last week.

Up to 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate the vicinity and thousands of tourists have been stranded as the volcano continues to spew thick smoke clouds over the island.

The massive plumes of dark ash from Mount Agung have reached highs of seven miles above its rumbling summit, according to officials.

And high winds, partially caused by a nearby cyclones, have blown ash from the volcano onto nearby houses, roads and plants, creating an eerie and abandoned look to towns and villages.

Photos from the Bali volcano summit shows ash from the eruption of Mount Agung covering houses at Sibetan village in Karangasem.

And in one photo, a man wearing flip flips is seen with ash covering his feet and the ground around him as the thick plumes continue to spread.

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled after the main airport for the island was closed on Monday and Tuesday amid fears the giant ash cloud could disrupt navigation.

It reopened on Wednesday at 3pm local time, 7am GMT, but the airport might have to close again if the wind changed direction, officials said.

Despite the airport reopening, live departure boards show scores of cancellations with 120,000 tourists thought to be stranded including 3,000 Britons.

Indonesian authorities have ordered the evacuation of 100,000 people.

But not all locals have left – some have insisted on waiting until lava from the crater heads their way with many pictured going about their daily business with the erupting earthquake in the background.

President Joko Widodo had previously implored residents living in a zone around Agung deemed at risk to seek refuge in emergency centres.

Agung rises majestically over eastern Bali to a height of just over 3,000 metres (9,800 feet).

The mountain is a huge tourist attraction, drawing thousands of people into Indonesia each year.

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But unsuspecting visitors have seen an even more spectacular sight after the volcano erupted this weekend and is now spewing huge ash plumes into the sky the same size as the mountain itself.

Stunning – but terrifying – images from the summit show the thick, black clouds billowing out the mountain’s crater, leaving a thick smoke over surrounding towns and villages.