'Mind boggling,' says photographer who snapped this picture of Bali's Mount Agung volcano

Read Story Transcript

Residents ofthe Indonesian island of Bali are waiting to see if the volcano Mount Agungis going to blow.

Authorities have raised the alert to the highest level and told 100,000 people to leave an area extending 10 kilometresfrom its crater as it belches grey and white plumes into the sky. Its last major eruption in 1963 killed about 1,100 people.

"It's huge.It's just mind-boggling," EmilioKuzma-FloydtoldAs It Happenshost Carol Off.

He's an Australian photographer who has been living in Bali on-and-off for the last two years. Kuzma-Floyddescribed the clouds of smoke and ash spewing out ofMountAgungfrom the town of Amed, about 15 kilometres from the volcano.

"At the moment it hasgot a huge plume. I think the last I heard, it was about 4 kilometres high. At night you can see a reflection of the heat from the volcano so it hasgot a really strong red colour to it," he said.

"It's incredibly dominant, so if you look anywhere you will see it on the horizon. It just takes up the whole sky and it's really intimidating."

Kuzma-Floyddescribed the thick ash in the air stinging his eyes and getting stuck in his throat.

• Indonesia raises Bali volcano threat alert to highest level
• The Current | 'Extremely dangerous':Uncloudingthe threat of Bali's MountAgungvolcano

Indonesian officialsextended the closure of Bali's international airport for another 24 hours due to concerns that jet engines could choke on theash, which continues to float across the island.

Nearly 40,000 people have moved to shelters,according to the Disaster Mitigation Agency in Karangasem. But tens of thousands of villagers have remained in their homes because they feel safe or don't want to abandon their farms and livestock.

"They've got sort of a push-and-pull sort of thing,"Kuzma-Floydsaid of the residents.

"Their livelihood, for a lot of them, relies entirely on their livestock or their crops. So for them, leaving that behind is like leaving their livelihood at stake. But if they stay to look after that, they're potentially putting their whole lives at risk."

Experts have told the Associated Press that a larger, explosive eruption is possible, or Agung could stay at its current level of activity for weeks.

"I was speaking to a local guy herewho hasbeen an absolute hero apparently, who was driving up and down the mountain just trying to urge everyone to get off tonight, to get down, get out of there," saidKuzma-Floyd."He has beenmeeting with a lot of people who are willing to do it, but also he's meeting a lot of people who are like, 'I can't do it. I can't leave. My life is up here.'"

Kuzma-Floydsays he plans to help non-profit groups on the ground to spread awareness, as Agungcontinues to erupt.

Bali, famous for its surf, beaches and temples, attracted nearly fivemillion visitors last year but business has slumped in areas around the volcano since September when Agung's volcanic tremors began to increase.

Indonesian officials first raised the highest alert two months ago when a rash of seismic activity was detected at the mountain. The seismic activity decreased by the end of October, causing authorities to lower the alert level.

With files from the Associated Press.