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Mount Agung: Locals fear no escape from gushing Bali volcano

Most people have fled the danger zone surrounding Mount Agung, but some locals are tired, sick and refusing to leave.

It is unclear how bad the current situation might get, or how long it could last
Image: It is unclear how bad the current situation might get, or how long it could last
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Bali's Mount Agung volcano started erupting lava on 25 November, with tens of thousands of locals and tourists evacuated.

Indonesian authorities have triggered the highest alert level and warned all people left in the Estimated Danger Zone, within five miles (8km), to refrain from any activity.

The majority of people have fled the area, but there are some who remain, despite plumes of smoke and visible lava.

Her home is at the foot of an active volcano, but 90-year-old Sepi is refusing to leave.

She is too tired and sick to move - and if Mount Agung erupts again, she could die.

Farmers tend their crops as Mount Agung erupts in the background in Amed
Image: Farmers tend their crops as Mount Agung erupts in the background in Amed

Sepi tells us she survived in 1963 when "rivers of lava reached the sea".

She says "fire and rocks rained down".

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But this time her grandson, Bukit, fears there will be no escape.

"Because my grandma is too old, so I am really scared about it," he said.

"I've already seen the mountain erupting, and there is smoke. There is also lava."

Bukit is remaining near the volcano as his grandmother is too sick to move
Image: Bukit is remaining near the volcano as his grandmother is too sick to move

After days of official warnings, others aren't taking any chances.

Down in the valley, basic wooden sheds protect 369 evacuees from the pouring rain.

This is now the only shelter for those living too close to Bali's volcano.

Inside, the sick and young lie side by side - 50 to a hut.

Ni Nyoman Suriati is here with her family, she says there's no other choice.

"I do this to survive," she tells me. "I'm scared of the ash and the cold lava flows."

Balinese people look at Mount Agung during an eruption seen from Kubu sub-district
Image: Balinese people look at Mount Agung during an eruption seen from Kubu sub-district

Her elderly sister-in-law, Ni Wayan Karya, agrees.

She only just escaped when it erupted more than 50 years ago

"I was a teenager and I remember what I saw," she says.

"After the rain of rock, then lava flowed into the river until it reached the road. The fire kept crawling down. Some of the villages burned, some of the cows burned."

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Frustration in Bali as tourists are grounded by volcano

Some of the people forced from their homes are among the poorest in Bali.

Farmers or construction workers, many find it hard to earn money while living in the camps.

No one knows when they will be able to return their villages but financial pressures may force some to go home before the danger has passed.