Tourists stranded, people flee as Bali raises volcano alert to highest level

The volcano on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali erupted for the second time in a week on Saturday, disrupting international flights even as authorities said the island remains safe. (Photo: AP)

Some 40,000 frightened people have fled their homes around the volcano but as many as 100,000 will likely be forced to leave, disaster agency officials said after raising the alert to its highest level. (Photo: AP)

On Saturday the mountain sent smoke up into the air for the second time in a week in what volcanologists call a phreatic eruption -- caused by the heating and expansion of groundwater. IN PIC: A man sits at a temple with the Mount Agung volcano erupting in the background in Karangasem, Indonesia. (Photo: AP)

Mt. Agung last erupted in 1963, killing about 1,600 people in one of the deadliest eruptions in a country that has nearly 130 active volcanoes. IN PIC: Villagers on their motorbikes after evacuating from their homes which are located near to the crater of Mount Agung, in Besakih village, Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia. (Photo: AP)

Villagers wear masks as they prepare to evacuate from their homes located near to the crater of Mount Agung at Besakih village, Karangasem, Bali. (Photo: AP)

Villagers rest at a makeshift tent at an evacuated area in Karangasem, Indonesia. Authorities ordered a mass evacuation of people on Monday from an expanded danger zone around an erupting volcano on Bali that has forced the island's international airport to close, stranding tens of thousands of travellers.(Photo: AP)

Indonesia is the world's most active volcanic region. The archipelago nation with over 17,000 islands lies on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activities. IN PIC: Volunteers prepare a makeshift tent at an evacuated area in Karangasem, Indonesia, Monday, Nov. 27, 2017. (Photo: AP)