Tourists stranded as volcanic ash cloud closes Bali airport
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The international airport on the holiday island of Bali closed on Wednesday, with hundreds of flights cancelled because of an ash cloud from an erupting volcano.
Potential of more eruption is still high
It is the second day of disruption, with air travel deemed unsafe.
Some 692 flights have been grounded, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
The resort island’s Ngurah Rai airport will be closed until Thursday morning and will reopen after a re-evaluation of the situation, officials said.
Mount Rinjani on the nearby island of Lombok has been spewing ash since last weekend.
“Tremors due to volcanic activities are continuously recorded and potential of more eruption is still high,” the meteorological agency said in a statement.
The Indonesian island attracts millions of holidaymakers seeking a taste of paradise.
But tens of thousands of travellers were stuck there in July when the eruption of another volcano forced the airport to close.
The latest disruption has reportedly delayed the deportation of one of India’s most-wanted men, Rajendra Nikalje, widely known as Chhota Rajan.
Chhota Rajan not to be deported today as Bali airport remains shut https://t.co/KLNsm6mxCQpic.twitter.com/bg69n28j8P
— Times of India (@timesofindia) 4 Novembre 2015Facing charges in more than two dozen murder cases at home, he was arrested in Bali last week after a two-decade-long international manhunt.