A volcanic eruption in Indonesia shot a massive ash cloud more than six miles into the sky, forcing the cancellation or disruption of dozens of flights to and from the tourist island of Bali.
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted at 5:35 p.m. local time on Tuesday, releasing an 11-kilometer (6.8-mile) column of hot ash over Flores Island in south-central Indonesia, according to the country’s Geology Agency.
Images captured an orange, mushroom-shaped cloud engulfing the nearby village of Talibura, with witnesses reporting sightings from as far as 93 miles (150 kilometers) away.
Officials raised the country’s alert to the highest level and warned tourists to keep their distance from the area. Denpasar International Airport in Bali halted dozens of flights, citing “due to volcano” as the reason for the disruptions on its website.
The affected flights included domestic routes to Jakarta and Lombok, along with international routes to Australia, China, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore.
AirNav, the airport operator, announced in an Instagram post that Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport would remain closed until Thursday to ensure passenger safety.
Singapore’s Changi Airport website showed that Jetstar and Scoot canceled their Wednesday morning flights to Bali, while AirAsia called off its midday flight to Jakarta.
Holidaymakers Athirah Rosli, 31, and her husband Fadzly Yohannes, 33, woke up this morning to find that Jetstar had canceled their flight home from Bali to Singapore.
“My first reaction was annoyed and panicked but I calmed down almost immediately,” Rosli told CNN.
“My husband and I looked at new flights, booked more accommodation and insurance and then had breakfast at our hotel,” she said.
“I see it was a blessing in disguise that we’re safe and well.”
Recent Rumblings Spark Chaos: Flights Halted as Volcano Erupts:
The volcano erupted after experiencing a surge in activity, with 50 volcanic events recorded in just two hours—far above the usual average of eight to ten per day.Officials confirmed that the 5,197-foot (1,584-meter) twin volcano erupted again on Wednesday morning, spewing a 0.62-mile (1-kilometer) ash cloud.
Avi Hallan, an official at the local disaster mitigation agency, said authorities evacuated dozens of residents from two nearby villages.
They established a danger zone extending five miles (8 kilometers) from the crater and warned residents that heavy rainfall could trigger lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano.
Tourists Stranded in Bali after Ash Cloud Forces Flight Cancellations:
A local tour operator reported that more than a thousand tourists, especially those traveling to Bali and Komodo National Park—famous for its Komodo dragons—have been affected.Remdy Doule, a sales worker at the Come2Indonesia travel agency in Bali, told CNN, “The cancellations affected over 1,000 tourists.” Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki last erupted in May, prompting authorities to raise the alert level to its highest.
During a previous eruption in March, airlines canceled and delayed flights into Bali—located about 500 miles (800 kilometers) away—including Australia’s Jetstar and Qantas Airways.
In November, the volcano erupted multiple times, killing nine people, injuring dozens, forcing thousands to flee, and prompting airlines to cancel flights.
Indonesia, home to 270 million people, contains 120 active volcanoes and frequently experiences seismic activity. The archipelago lies along the “Ring of Fire,” where seismic fault lines form a horseshoe-shaped belt encircling the Pacific Basin.
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