The Mount Agung volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali erupted for about 10 minutes early Sunday morning, the country's disaster management agency said. Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the volcano belched a thick plume of grey smoke up to 2,500 meters into the sky which was then blown north-east. White smoke was seen billowing from the crater after the eruption. Authorities raised the warning alert to the highest level on November 27 and ordered the evacuation of nearly 100,000 people, dpa reported. Nugroho said international airports on the resort islands Bali and Lombok were operating normally. The 3,031-metre Mount Agung last erupted for a period of almost a year in 1963 and 1964, leaving about 1,200 people dead. Indonesia sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area known for seismic upheavals and volcanic eruptions.
