Volcano eruption grounds flights, strands thousands in Bali and nearby islands

The eruption of a volcano has forced the closure of several Indonesian airports, including the one serving the popular resort island of Bali.

The eruption of Mount Rinjani sent ash and debris more than 11,000 feet into the air, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman, tells The Associated Press. The eruption, which began late Tuesday and continued into Wednesday, coated villages and farmland in ash and prompted Indonesian officials to advise airlines to avoid flying routes near Mount Rinjani.

Flights were halted at Bali’s main international airport Wednesday morning.

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“The airport remains closed until 8.45 am tomorrow (Thursday). The wind has blown the volcanic ash towards Bali in such a way that it covers the sky around the airport, making conditions unsuitable for flying,” a Bali airport official named Yulfiadi told the AFP news agency.

The eruption prompted also forced several smaller airports on nearby islands to halt flights, too.

More than 100 flights had already been canceled at Bali on Wednesday and dozens more have been delayed or canceled at other airports. Combined, AP says nearly 700 flights scheduled from Tuesday into Thursday have been delayed or canceled across Indonesia because of the eruption.

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AP describes the scene at Bali’s airport, saying “many travelers complained about a lack of information about their delayed flights and some were sleeping on benches inside terminals.”

Volcanic eruptions are common in Indonesia. The concern for aircraft is that ash could be drawn into the engines and cause significant damage in flight.

Volcanoes occasionally disrupt airline flights in other parts of the world, too. In 2010, the eruption of a volcano in Iceland volcanic snarled flights across Europe for nearly a week. Nearly 100,000 flights were canceled during that episode, one of the worst ever to affect airline schedules.

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