Bali's Fire Balls

Denpasar : Thousands of residents were evacuated from villages near an active volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali, officials said on Friday, as seismic tremors-

Rattled some areas and smoke rose above one of the world's most popular tourist spots.

The alert status for Mount Agung in eastern Bali was at 3, one level below the highest, and authorities warned tourists and residents to avoid camping or hiking within a 6 km [ 4 miles ] radius of the crater.

''Volcano activity remains high and there are indications of magma rising to the surface and causing tremors.'' said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of the National Disaster Management Agency.

''There should be zero public activity within the specified radius in case there is an eruption,'' Nugroho said.

However, flights at Bali's International airport were operating as normal and there was little interruption and disruption to tourism operations across the island, authorities said.

Nearly 6,000 people have been evacuated so far and that number was expected to rise officials said.