Indonesia has suffered a major volcanic eruption near the popular holiday resort island of Bali. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted at 5:35 pm on Tuesday, sending an enormous six-mile-high (11 km) ash cloud.
Images showed an orange mushroom-shaped ash cloud engulfing the nearby village of Tailbura, with sightings around 93 miles away. This has led to chaos throughout the island.
The eruption has led to massive disruption in the largely tourist-dependent region of Indonesia. Dozens of domestic and international flights have been cancelled, and more than 1,000 tourists have been affected.
Domestic flights to Jakarta and Lombok have been cancelled. In addition, international flights from Australia, China, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore were disrupted.
Airlines such as Qantas, Air India, Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Juneyao Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Australia have cancelled flights.
Three airports in the East Nusa Tenggara region have been closed due to the volcano’s eruption. A 7km danger zone has been established around the eruption site.
Authorities warned residents about lava flows as rainfall increases the chances of further disruption. Tourists and residents have also been advised to wear masks to avoid breathing in the ash. People closer to the volcano have been evacuated.
The eruption came after the national disaster agency reported days of significant volcanic activity, and the alert level was increased to very high after a similar eruption in May.
However, JetStar made a statement saying that the “forecasts show the ash cloud is expected to clear by later tonight.” But this doesn’t prevent the delays and chaos experienced by tourists trying to visit the country.
Indonesia is known for having a high level of seismic activity, being located on the ring of fire, a horseshoe shaped series of fault lines between tectonic plates. The eruption continues to cause major disruption and will have a big effect on the nation.
