59,000 tourists stranded as fears increase of major eruption from Bali volcano
TOURISTS were stuck in limbo yesterday as an “imminent” eruption on the island of Bali saw more than 440 flights cancelled, with holidaymakers facing a night’s sleep on airport floors.
The panic began when Mount Agung spurted clouds of grey and white ash across the Indonesian island, prompting fears it was on the verge of its first major eruption in more than 50 years.
As the ash clouds reached heights of almost 10,000ft, with glowing magma visible at the peak, 40,000 people were evacuated from the surrounding area.
Reuters reported that at least 445 flights were disrupted after the Indonesian volcano belched columns of ash into the sky, leaving 59,000 tourists stranded.
Disaster agency workers said that a total of 100,000 people would need to be evacuated, while officials warned the island was on “maximum alert”.
In the early hours of yesterday morning, the airport’s closure was extended by a further 24 hours, as officials warned the risk of an eruption had reached maximum level. “We’ve been here since around 8am, we didn’t know anything about the cancellation,” Janeen McKay (51), who was anxious to get back to western Australia where she cares for her 80-yearold mother, said.
Several British tourists were also caught up in the chaos, among them Sarah Murphy (40) and Tina Lucke (31). After their Emirates flight to Gatwick via Dubai was cancelled, they were re-booked onto the next available flight today – only for that flight to be grounded amid uncertainty as to when Denpasar International Airport would re-open.
The pair, who arrived on Bali on November 16, are staying in Padang Padang and are not near the volcano in the east of the country.
“Some other tourists I spoke to couldn’t get hold of their airlines so had no idea what was happening or when or how they would leave,” said Ms Murphy.
Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said that the volcano’s eruptions were magmatic, meaning that lava has been forced to the surface.
“We really ask people in the danger zone to evacuate immediately because there’s a potential for a bigger eruption,” it said.
Video footage showed trails of volcanic mud running down the hillside. These can collect debris and rocks which can destroy houses and roads. Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre told Reuters a large eruption could send rocks up to 8km away and volcanic gas to a distance of six miles within three minutes.
Geological agency head Kasbani, who goes by one name, said the alert level was raised at 6am yesterday because the volcano had shifted from steam-based eruptions to magmatic eruptions. However, he was still not expecting a major eruption.
“We don’t expect a big eruption but we have to stay alert and anticipate,” he said. Indonesian and regional authorities had already heightened f light warnings around Mount Agung on Sunday as the eruptions sent volcanic ash and steam more than 6,000 metres into the skies above the popular holiday island.
Ash covered roads, cars and buildings near the volcano in the north-east of the island, while scores of flights were cancelled and overnight a red glow of what appeared to be magma could be seen in photographs by Antara, the state news agency.
Video released by the national disaster agency showed a mudflow of volcanic debris and water moving down the volcano’s slopes. (© Daily Telegraph London)
Ash covered roads, cars and buildings near the volcano