Dozens of flights to and from Indonesia’s popular tourist island of Bali were cancelled after a powerful volcanic eruption on Tuesday sent a massive ash plume high into the atmosphere, disrupting air travel and prompting evacuations.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, located in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted late Tuesday, spewing a towering ash column estimated at 11 kilometers (6.84 miles) into the sky, according to Indonesia’s geological agency. A second, smaller eruption followed on Wednesday morning, keeping authorities on high alert.
In response, the alert status for the volcano was raised to the highest level on the country’s four-tier scale. Local authorities reported no casualties but ordered precautionary evacuations in surrounding villages, with Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) confirming continued volcanic tremors and emissions into Wednesday.
Residents and tourists have been advised to stay at least 7 kilometers (4.35 miles) away from the crater amid ongoing volcanic activity.
The eruption disrupted air travel significantly, with Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport confirming that at least 32 flights were cancelled. The affected routes included international flights from Australia, Singapore, and India, as well as domestic services. JetStar, Qantas’s low-cost subsidiary, cancelled morning departures to Australia but indicated that flights might resume later in the evening as ash conditions clear.
“Due to volcano activity of Lewotobi Laki-Laki in East Nusa Tenggara, several flights at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport are cancelled,” said airport operator Angkasa Pura Indonesia in a statement.
Singapore Airlines also cancelled four services between Singapore and Bali’s Denpasar airport. AirAsia suspended several flights bound for Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores, which is near the erupting volcano.
In addition, Airnav, Indonesia’s air navigation agency, announced the closure of Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport in Maumere until Thursday to ensure passenger safety.
This marks the second major eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in recent months. In November, an eruption claimed nine lives and forced thousands to evacuate.
Indonesia, situated along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, is one of the most volcanically active nations in the world, with frequent earthquakes and eruptions.
With input from Al Jazeera.
