(CNN) — A smoking Bali volcano has halted flights for another day as Indonesian emergency authorities continue widespread evacuations ahead of another possible eruption.
Almost 30,000 people have already left the area around Mount Agung since it began erupting on Saturday, spewing clouds of ash reaching as high as 9,100 meters (at least 5.6 miles).
Clouds of smoke continued to pour from the crater Tuesday morning, with authorities remaining on the highest alert level possible in anticipation of another, larger eruption.
“Rays of fire” were increasingly observed overnight in the volcano’s crater, according to a Facebook post by the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB), which it warned could lead to a “bigger explosion” soon.
“The ceaseless volcanic ash spray, occasionally accompanied with explosive eruption and weak explosive sounds can be heard up to a distance of 12 km from the top of the mountain,” the disaster agency said.
The BNPB maintained a Level 4 alert on Tuesday, mandating no public activities within 10 kilometers of the peak.
On Monday evening, a red level aviation warning was reissued by Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation due to the ongoing eruption.
Arie Ahsanurrohim, spokesman for Bali’s largest airport, Ngurah Rai, announced early Tuesday morning flights would be grounded for another day over fears of volcanic ash.
All flights out of the airport are grounded until 7 a.m. local time Wednesday. More than 50,000 domestic and international passengers have already been stranded by the eruption.
Bali is a popular tourist destination in eastern Indonesia which sees more than a million visitors from Australia every year, as well as hundreds of thousands from around the region, including China.
Tourists spoke to CNN of the travel chaos caused by the volcano, with some unable to leave Bali for three days.
Ash began spewing from Agung after it erupted three times on Saturday, beginning at around 5.30 p.m. local time. More eruptions followed on Sunday, with a “medium-pressure” event in the early evening.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “Bali volcano closes airport for a second day amid fears of further eruptions.”
