Indonesia extends Bali airport closure due to Agung eruption

JAKARTA/AMED, Indonesia - Indonesia's transportation ministry said on Tuesday it will extend the closure of Bali's I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport for a further 24 hours because of ash from the eruption of the island's Mount Agung volcano.

Passengers are seen after Ngurah Rai airport closed their operation due to eruption of Mount Agung in Bali resort island, November 27, 2017 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. [Photo/Agencies]

A report from local aviation navigation authorities showed that "aircraft flight channels are covered with volcanic ash" the ministry said in a statement.

Bali airport, about 60 km (37 miles) from the volcano, will be closed until 7 a.m. local time on November 29, it said.

Ten alternative airports have been prepared for airlines to divert inbound flights, including in neighbouring provinces.

A separate notice showed Lombok airport had been reopened, after an earlier closure overnight due to the eruption.

Agung rises majestically over eastern Bali to a height of just over 3,000 metres (9,800 feet).

On Monday, authorities ordered 100,000 residents living near the volcano to evacuate immediately, warning that the first major eruption in 54 years could be "imminent". An 8-10 km (5-6 miles) exclusion zone has been imposed around the summit.

Agung's last eruption in 1963 killed more than 1,000 people and razed several villages by hurling out pyroclastic material, hot ash, lava and lahar.