Bali volcano spews ash and cloud, alert not raised

JAKARTA, Indonesia – The Mount Agung volcano on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali has spewed ash and smoke, but authorities say its alert level remains unchanged.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nguroho said Tuesday that clouds of smoke rose about 700 meters (2,300 feet) from the volcano.

The volcano's alert status was recently lowered to the second-highest warning level after several weeks at the highest level.

Nguroho said people should stay out of an exclusion zone that extends in a radius of about 6 kilometers (3.5 miles) from the crater.