Volcano eruption in Bali: Mount Agung spewing clouds of ash and smoke; check out spectacular photos

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Volcano eruption in Bali: Mount Agung volcano in Bali has erupted for the first time in more than half a century. This has forced the closure of the Indonesian tourist island's busy airport. The last time when the island's volcano erupted was in 1963 which killed about 1,100 people. Check out spectacular photos of Mount Agung, which has wreaked havoc on the locals and tourists travelling in and out of the island:

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Popular among the tourists are the areas of Kuta and Seminyak are largely safe even with a major eruption though masks and goggles could prove necessary if there's significant ash fall. (Photo: AP)

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Ash from the Mount Agung volcano reached Bali airspace leading to the closure of the international airport early Monday. More than 400 flights to and from Bali's airport were cancelled. This has caused nearly 60,000 travellers to be stranded on the island. (Photo: AP)

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Indonesian authorities ordered a mass evacuation of people Monday from an expanded danger zone around an erupting volcano on Bali that has forced the island's international airport to close. (Photo: AP)

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As on Monday, the closure of its airport is for 24 hours. But if there is any further disruption caused by the volcano then the closure can be prolonged. (Photo: AP)

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The risk of mudflows, which combine water and volcanic debris, is high because it's the rainy season in Bali. Authorities have warned people to stay away from rivers. (Photo: AP)

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Authorities have ordered 100,000 people to leave a danger zone that extends 10 kilometres from the crater in places and tourists shouldn't enter it. On the slopes of the volcano, the danger zone has a famous Hindu temple which is likely to be prone to deadly mudflows and lava. (Photo: AP)

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Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire'' and has more than 120 active volcanoes. (Photo: AP)

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The alert status of Mount Agung had reached its highest in September. But was lowered in late October. This prompted more than 140,000 people to leave the area and move to evacuation centres. As of now, more than 25,000 people remain in these centres. (Photo: AP)

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Bali is one of Asia's top destinations for travelling and this island attracts more than 5 million visitors every year. Throughout the month of December until the first week of January is considered one of the busy period in the island. (Photo: AP)

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Mount Agung has been hurling clouds of white and dark grey ash about 3,000 meters into the atmosphere since the weekend. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency raised the volcano's alert to its highest level on early Monday. (Photo: AP)