Volcano eruption closes main airport in Indonesia’s Bali
The main airport in Indonesia’s island of Bali has been temporarily closed due to volcanic activities and ash clouds in the area.
The Ngurah Rai International Airport was shut down on Sunday after Mount Raung on the island of Java spewed clouds of ash into the sky, causing travel chaos for vacationers on the island.
Indonesian authorities had closed the airport due to thick clouds of ash into the sky late Thursday, but had reopened it on Saturday.
Indonesia’s Transport Ministry announced early Sunday that, due to the increase in the density of ash and cloud over the resort island, the airport was being closed again until at least 4:00 pm (0800 GMT).
“We will continue to monitor developments and decide if the closure will be extended later,” said J.A. Barata, a ministry spokesman, adding that another airport serving domestic routes in the island was also closed.
Gede Suantika, an Indonesian volcanologist, said Mount Raung continued to erupt and spew out ash up to 1,000 meters (3,200 feet) into the air.
“Our observation this morning showed that the winds had pushed the ash in a southeasterly direction towards Bali again,” he added.
Indonesian flag carrier Garuda announced that all of its flights will be canceled until 4:00 pm local time on Sunday.
The volcanic activity has coincided with the peak tourism season, when foreign visitors flock to the tropical resort.
The closure of the airport has caused difficulties for thousands of stranded vacationers.
Air traffic is regularly disrupted by volcanic eruptions in Indonesia, which sits on a belt of seismic activity running around the basin of the Pacific Ocean and is home to the highest number of active volcanoes in the world – about 130.
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