Bali volcano eruption latest: Denpasar airport grounds thousands of flights as Mount Agung spews ash 8,000ft into the air

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Sophie Williams29 June 2018

Bali’s international airport was forced to ground thousands of flights as ash from a volcanic eruption spewed ash 8,000 feet into the air.

Hundreds of people living beneath Mount Agung were forced to flee their homes as red flames lit up the volcano’s crater when it began erupting on Thursday.

Dramatic images showed thick clouds of ash billow from the volcano in to the sky above the Indonesian tourist hotspot.

Denpasar Airport has been forced to close affecting nearly 16,000 people and is expected to stay shut until at least 7pm local time.

Hundreds of passengers queued in the airport’s lobby awaiting updates while others were seen sleeping on the floor.

Passengers stand in front of the information board at the airport
REUTERS

British traveller Ross Webb said he was preparing for his trip to be extended.

“I imagine a lot of people are frustrated trying to get home and so I’m just going to head back to Bali, extend my stat a bit, and see what happens.”

Volcanic ash can cause damage to aircraft engines and clog fuel and cooling systems.

Airlines including Qantas and Virgin Australia said they were monitoring the situation with the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre.

Mount Agung erupts closing Bali's international airport
AFP/Getty Images

According to the country’s disaster mitigation agency, there is no indication on how long the eruption might last with the alert level on the volcano remaining unchanged for now.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho from the agency said: “Micro tremors are still being detected indicating that magma is moving towards the surface.”

Mount Agung last erupted in 1963, killing over a thousand people
AP

Mr Nugroho said that 309 residents living in a danger area just over two miles from the crater had evacuated.

In 2017, tremors from Mount Agung were detected forcing 120,000 people to flee from their homes.

Passengers rest on the floor of the airport after their flight is cancelled
AP

It last erupted in 1963, killing more than 1,100 people.

Additional reporting by PA.

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