Volcanic eruption causes travel Chaos for Australians bound for Bali

A volcanic eruption in Indonesia has spewed a colossal ash tower into the sky, causing mayhem for travellers heading to Bali. Both Jetstar and Virgin cancelled services both to and from the Indonesian island on Wednesday morning after Mount Lewotobi unleashed a 10,000-metre-tall smoke ash column into the air at 5.35pm local time on Tuesday (3.35pm AEST).
Though the volcano is 1,300km from Bali, on the island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara province, a Jetstar spokeswoman said flights out of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide had been impacted by the ash cloud. Four return flights were cancelled on Wednesday morning as volcanic ash made conditions unsafe for flying. 'At this stage, forecasts show the ash cloud is expected to clear by later tonight,' the spokeswoman said. 'As a result, this afternoon's flights will be delayed to operate later this evening. We are reaching out to customers on these flights to advise them of the delay.'
A Virgin spokeswoman said guests travelling to or from Bali should check for updates on their flight's status through the company's website or app. It's understood two Qantas flights from Sydney and Melbourne travelling to Denpasar on Wednesday afternoon will be delayed by between one and two hours. 'Customers will be contacted directly and we thank them for their understanding,' a Qantas spokesperson said.
On Tuesday afternoon, tourists and locals were urged to remain at least 7km away from the volcano's crater. Indonesia's Geology Agency head Muhammad Wafid warned residents to wear face masks to protect themselves from ash and debris. There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties from the eruption, but residents remained on alert for hazardous lahar flows - a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic material.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said at least one town had to evacuate on Tuesday afternoon as images showed an orange mushroom-shaped ash cloud appearing to engulf a village. Videos circulating on X showed the towering column of hot ash billowing in the air, as screams and cries were heard in the background. Ash rain was reported in several villages outside the exclusion zone.
Mount Lewotobi – meaning 'husband and wife' – has two peaks, Lewotobi Laki-Laki and Lewotobi Perempuan. The more active peak, Laki-Laki was responsible for Tuesday's ash cloud. In November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times.

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