Bali volcano latest: Airport reopens as four-mile high ash clouds change direction despite fears of 'major explosion' from Mount Agung

Fiona Simpson29 November 2017

Bali airport has reopened after nearly three days of closures sparking hope for hundreds of thousands of stranded tourists as ash clouds from an erupting volcano changed direction.

Indonesia's second biggest airport opened its doors at 3pm local time (7am GMT) on Wednesday after closing on Monday as Mount Agung spewed thick ash clouds into the air.

According to the airport's website, hundreds of flights from the travel hub remained cancelled despite the facility reopening.

And, airport officials warned that the only direct international gateway to the tropical island could be shuttered again if winds change direction and towering columns of smoke and ash again posed a risk to flights.

Bali Volcano: Mount Agung erupts - In pictures

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"The airspace will be re-opened", Bali Ngurah Rai airport spokesman Arie Ahsanurrohim told reporters.

But "we are going to constantly monitor the situation on the ground," he added.

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated
AFP/Getty Images

Days of cancellations have so-far affected around 120,000 people, officials said.

The airport, which is used by millions each year, was initially planned to be closed for a third day.

Airport spokesman Ari Ahsanurrohim said more than 440 flights were cancelled on Tuesday, affecting nearly 60,000 passengers, about the same as Monday.

Ash is dangerous for planes as it makes runways slippery and can be sucked into their engines.

Mount Agung could produce a major eruption at any moment, officials have warned.

Tens of thousands have already fled their homes around the volcano -- which last erupted in 1963, killing around 1,600 people -- but as many as 100,000 will likely be forced to leave, disaster agency officials have said.

Mount Agung spews ash into the air
Getty Images

Experts said Mount Agung's recent activity matches the build-up to the earlier disaster, which ejected enough debris -- about a billion tonnes -- to lower global average temperatures by around 0.3 degrees Celsius for roughly a year.

"Small eruptions have been happening continuously but there's still the possibility of a bigger, explosive eruption," said I Gede Suantika, a senior volcanologist at Indonesia's volcanology agency.

"Activity remains high and we are still on the highest alert level."

A NASA satellite detected a thermal anomaly at the crater, said senior Indonesian volcanologist Gede Swantika.

Stranded tourists at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar
EPA

That means a pathway from the storage chamber in the volcano's crust has opened, giving magma easier access to the surface.

Indonesian officials first raised the highest alert two months ago when a rash of seismic activity was detected at the mountain.

More than 100,000 people living near the volcano fled their homes, many abandoning their livestock or selling them for a fraction of the normal price. The seismic activity decreased by the end of October, causing authorities to lower the alert level.

Tourists wait at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali
EPA

Tremors increased again last week and officials upped the alert and ordered another large-scale evacuation, with nearly 40,000 people now staying in 225 shelters, according to the Disaster Mitigation Agency in Karangasem.

But tens of thousands of villagers have remained in their homes because they feel safe or do not want to abandon their farms and livestock.

"Ash has covered my house on the floor, walls, banana trees outside, everywhere" said Wayan Lanus, who fled his village in Buana Giri with his wife and daughter.

Flows of volcanic mud have been spotted on Agung's slopes, and Arculus warned more are possible since it's the rainy season.

"They're not making a lot of noise. It's just suddenly coming like a flash flood out of nowhere," he said. "You do not want to be near them. Stay out of the valleys."

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and has more than 120 active volcanoes.

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