Dozens of Bali flights cancelled after Indonesia volcano erupts

After a volcanic eruption in Indonesia’s east erupted into a massive ash cloud, thousands of flights to and from Bali’s resort island were canceled.

An 11 km (6.84-mile) column of ash was thrown into the sky by Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province late on Tuesday, according to Indonesia’s geological agency.

It said a second eruption on Wednesday morning resulted in a smaller ash cloud, raising the alert level to the highest level in its four-tier system.

There haven’t been any reported injuries. However, as a precaution, local authorities urged people to flee from several villages close to the volcano.

Despite being reported on Wednesday morning, tremors and eruptions were still being recorded in Indonesia, according to the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure, or BNPB.

The geological&nbsp, agency advised residents and tourists to avoid activities that are less than 7 kilometers (4.35 miles) from the volcano’s crater.

According to Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport, at least 32 flights to and from Bali were canceled as a result of the eruption.

According to the airport website, there were routes impacted by Australia, India, and Singapore.

Numerous flights to I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport are canceled due to Lewotobi Laki-Laki’s volcano activity, according to airport operator Angkasa Pura Indonesia, according to a statement from the airport.

Four Singapore Airlines flights between Bali’s Denpasar airport and Singapore were also cancelled, along with a number of domestic AirAsia flights departing for Labuan Bajo on Flores, where Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki is located.

JetStar, a low-cost airline on Qantas, also discontinued some of its morning flights from Bali to Australia.

The ash cloud is anticipated to be cleared by later tonight, according to forecasts. The flights will be delayed this afternoon until later this evening because of this, JetStar announced in a website update.

According to Airnav, an airport operator, the Indonesian government has decided to close Maumere’s Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport until Thursday in order to “ensure the safety of the passengers.”

After the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in November, nine people died, and thousands were forced to evacuate.