BALI, INDONESIA, 14 Nov. - (ANA) - Tourists have been stranded on the Indonesian island of Bali after a nearby volcano spewed hot towers of ash more than five miles into the sky, forcing airlines to cancel flights to and from the popular destination.

 

Companies including Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and AirAsia all grounded planes on Wednesday, after new activity at Mount Lewotobi – a twin-peaked, 5,197ft tall volcano on Flores island, roughly 360 miles from Bali. It has two peaks; the Lewotobi Laki-Laki and the Lewotobi Perempuan.

 

The volcano has been sporadically catapulting ash into the sky since an initial eruption last week, which killed nine people, injured dozens more and pushed more than 11,000 to evacuate.

 

But on Tuesday alone, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spewed ash into the sky at least 17 times. According to the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation, the largest column was 5.6 miles tall.

 

As volcanic ash spread towards Bali, numerous airlines said it was no longer safe to operate, leaving tourists stranded. The general manager of Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai international airport told the Associated Press (AP) that 46 flights – including 30 scheduled to depart and 16 due to arrive – had so far been affected.

 

As it announced several cancellations,  the low-cost carrier AirAsia said in a statement: “Volcanic ash poses a significant threat to safe operations of the aircraft in the vicinity of volcanic clouds.”

 

Meanwhile Korean Air said two of its flights headed to the holiday hotspot had been forced to turn back in mid-air because of the volcanic ash. The planes were collectively carrying about 400 passengers.

 

Other carriers halting flights included Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Scoot and IndiGo. But some passengers stranded at I Gusti Ngurah Rai airport said they had felt abandoned.

 

Charlie Austin from Perth, Australia, who was on vacation in Bali with his family, told AP: “The airline did not provide accommodation, leaving us stranded at this airport.”

 

Home to 280 million people, Indonesia sits in the “Ring of Fire”, a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean which makes it incredibly prone to earthquakes, volcanic activity and landslides. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki is one of the archipelago’s 120 active volcanoes.   - (ANA) -

 

AAB/ANA/14 November 2024 - - -