Thousands of tourists stranded in Bali

Two thousand and more airline passengers, mostly traveling between Bali and Australia have no way to go or cannot land at Den Pasar International Airport in Bali, Indonesia.

Mount Agung , a volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali has sent plumes of grey smoke and steam as high as 13,123 feet on Sunday morning. This is going on for a third day in a week. There are thousands of tourists stranded in Bali. There is no danger for tourists remaining in the many resorts of Bali or Lombok.

Indonesia’s volcanology centre has put out a red alert, warning airlines of a possible eruption, with a likely significant emission of ash into the atmosphere. However, as of this morning Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport was still open after a red alert was put on airlines by aviation authorities.

The decision to delay or divert flights was up to individual airlines.

Several domestic flights have also been cancelled such as to the nearby island of Lombok, also a popular tourist destination east of Bali. The wind has blown Mount Agung’s ash in that direction.

Mount Agung last erupted in 1963, killing nearly 1,600 people.

It rumbled back to life in September and authorities raised the alert to the highest level, forcing 140,000 people living nearby to evacuate.

The volcano’s activity decreased in late October and many people returned to their home as the alert was lowered to the second-highest level.

An airport spokesperson said: “We try to make the airport as comfortable as possible for the passengers affected. So far we have provided special rooms for them to unpack their luggage and video entertainment so they can relax a bit.”