Bali's Mount Agung Erupts, Forcing Indonesian Airports to Shut Down

The latest eruption of Mount Agung, on the Indonesian island of Bali, shut down three nearby airports – one in Bali and two on the neighbouring Java island – on Friday, June 29.Volcanic ash forced Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport in to close until 7pm local time on June 29.Meanwhile in East Java, Blimbing Sari Airport in Banyuwangi and Noto Hadinegoro Airport in Jember were reportedly closed until 5pm local time, according to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the National Disaster Management Agency.The closure of Ngurah Rai Airport, a major tourist hub, affected nearly 75,000 passengers and cancelled up to 450 flights, Sutopo said.The volcano’s eruption this week, which began on Wednesday, June 27, emitted plumes of volcanic ash reaching as high as 2,000 metres above the crater.This video of the eruption was shared online on June 28.The volcano previously erupted about two weeks ago, on June 13. Credit: Acqua&Ocean via Storyful