Ash: Bali airport open – for now
120 000 STRANDED TOURISTS START FLYING OUT Volcanic activity remains high and island still on the highest alert level.
Bali’s international airport reopened yesterday after a nearly three-day shutdown as towering columns of volcanic ash and smoke shifted direction on the Indonesian resort island.
The move raised hope for some of the more than 120 000 tourists stranded after a surge in activity at Mount Agung had grounded hundreds of flights since Monday, sparking travel chaos.
It was not immediately clear when flights would resume. Airport officials cautioned that the airport could shut again if winds change direction.
Ash is dangerous for planes as it makes runways slippery and can be sucked into their engines.
“We are going to constantly monitor the situation,” Ngurah Rai airport spokesperson Arie Ahsanurrohim said.
Australian visitor Ebra Syllivan was overjoyed at the news.
“I didn’t know it was going to reopen today – we just came here because our flight was originally scheduled for tonight and we’ve booked out of our motel,” she said.
“It’s fabulous because we need to get back to work.”
Mount Agung could produce a major eruption at any moment, officials have warned.
Tens of thousands have already fled their homes around the volcano – which last erupted in 1963, killing about 1 600 people – but as many as 100 000 will be forced to leave in case of a full eruption, disaster agency officials said.
Experts said Agung’s recent activity matches the build-up to the earlier disaster, which ejected enough debris – about a billion tons – to lower global average temperatures by about 0.3oC for roughly a year.
“Activity remains high and we are still on the highest alert level,” said Gede Suantika, a senior Indonesian volcanologist. – AFP