ALERT: Bali- Airport Closure as Volcano Erupts (November 27, 2017)

November 27, 2017

A volcano in Bali has erupted, leading to a closure of Bali’s main airport and the stranding of nearly 60,000 travelers.

Business Insider writes:

An ash cloud forced the main airport on the Indonesian island of Bali to close on Monday. International flights at Denpasar Airport were canceled following a volcanic eruption by Mount Agung on Saturday evening and a further three eruptions on Sunday.

Fifty-nine thousand passengers on 445 canceled flights — including 196 international flights — have been affected, the airport said in a statement.

Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency said that Denpasar Airport was closed for 24 hours and that authorities would consider reopening it Tuesday morning after evaluating the situation.

The BBC reported that there is concern this could affect tourism in the country:

Tourism numbers have been down since the volcano began rumbling in September.

“We are very well prepared but we do need to worry about the long-term impact on the lives of the evacuees and the impact on tourism to Bali. That’s the more serious issue,” said Bali’s Governor, Made Pastika.

The Bali Tourism Board has set up a crisis centre to respond to the eruption. It is co-ordinating free accommodation for 2,315 stranded travellers, and it has set up consular and immigration desks at the airport to help tourists to make arrangements to stay longer.

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