Several Bali Flights Cancelled As Volcano Erupts in Indonesia, 14-Day Emergency Declared

Bali: A volcano in Indonesia erupted three times on Friday sending an ash column soaring 26,200 feet into the air and prompting authorities to cancel several flights to and from the country. 

Indonesia's Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano’s eruption alert was raised to the highest level, and the danger zone was extended from 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) to 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the crater, an official statement said.

Several Bali Flights Cancelled 

Flights between Australia and Bali were cancelled due to the eruption. Many other international and domestic flights to the island experienced delays.

Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB), Indonesia’s national body for disaster management has declared a 14-day emergency and set up a command post to manage the response efforts

According to Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport, seven international flights had been cancelled, six of them are Jetstar flights bound to Australia and one Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur. 

Citizens Urged To Exercise Caution

Residents were advised to stay alert for the potential of heavy rainfall triggering lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano, as noted by Indonesia's geology agency.

Also Read: Guatemala's Fuego Volcano Erupts, Threatening Nearby Communities

Located on the remote island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara province, the volcano has experienced hundreds of earthquakes, and volcanic activity has notably increased over the past week. 

After the three eruptions on Thursday night and Friday morning, the volcano remained quiet throughout the day, with seismic activity recorded by the Wulangitang observation post showing a decrease.