Bali's Mount Agung erupts - in pictures

Molten rocks hurled from volcano as thick ash spiralled two miles into the air

A Forest fire is seen on the slope of Mount Agung volcano after an eruption, as seen from Amed Village in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia. Made Nagi / EPA

Search and rescue vehicles on standby at an emergency shelter in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia. Made Nagi / EPA

Farmers work on their land with Mount Agung seen in the background in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia. Firdia Lisnawati / AP Photo

Tourists paddle their board as they watch Mount Agung spew ash and smoke in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia. Firdia Lisnawati / AP Photo

Mount Agung volcano erupts in Bali, Indonesia. Reuters

A plume of fresh ash is released as Mount Agung volcano erupts, in this image seen from the village of Tulamben in Karangasem Regency on Indonesia's resort island of Bali. Sonny Tumbelaka / AFP

Mount Agung volcano as seen from Bugbug village in Karangasem regency in Bali, Indonesia. Reuters

Evacuated villagers wait at a shelter after a Mount Agung volcano eruption at Pesangkan village in Karangasem Regency, Bali, Indonesia. Johannes P. Christo / Reuters

Bali's largest volcano has erupted, sending 2,000-metre-high columns of ash spiralling into the air.

On Monday at 9pm local time lave began exploding out of Mount Agung and hurling burning chunks of rock up to a mile away from its crater.

It was the volcano's first explosive eruption since a dramatic increase in activity last year that temporarily forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.

Nearly 700 people fled Banjar Galih village, about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from the crater, to an evacuation center, said a resident, Ketut Budi.

"I saw smoke rising and the volcano rumbled very loud," he told AP. "We came here with motorcycles and those with cars helped carry other people."

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