Passengers with cancelled domestic flights are waiting at Ngurah Rai International Airport after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, located near Tuban in Denpasar on Indonesia's resort island of Bali, erupted and sent an ash column miles into the sky on Wednesday. – AFP
Several international airlines halted flights to and from Bali on Wednesday due to further eruptions of a volcano that has been spewing ash clouds as high as 10 km (32,808 ft), prompting the evacuation of thousands. Jetstar and Qantas suspended their Bali flights on Wednesday for safety reasons related to volcanic ash, while Flightradar24 indicated that AirAsia and Virgin flights to the island were also cancelled. Bali is Indonesia's premier tourist destination and a favorite among Australian visitors. The first eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki on November 3 in the East Nusa Tenggara province, approximately 800 km (497 miles) from Bali, resulted in at least nine fatalities. The volcano has since erupted multiple times, including several instances on Tuesday. From November 4 to November 12, 80 flights in Bali were cancelled, involving routes from Singapore, Hong Kong, and several Australian cities, according to Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, the general manager of Bali's Ngurah Rai airport. Indonesia, home to nearly 130 active volcanoes, is situated on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire,' an area known for its high seismic activity due to various tectonic plates. The ash column from Mount Lewotobi has reached up to 10 km, and authorities report that sandfall has covered surrounding areas. (Reporting by Sultan Anshori in Denpasar and Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Writing by Stanley Widianto; Editing by Martin Petty)
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