A sudden volcanic eruption in the Eastern island of Java, Indonesia has trapped some local and foreign tourists visiting for the weekend. Airports in Bali, Eastern Java, and Lombok Island were shut down as of midnight Thursday.
Hundreds of Singapore Airlines and PT Garuda Indonesia flights, among others, had been cancelled late Thursday because of the eruption of Mount Raung in East Java, according to Bloomberg.
Airports were not re-opened as of Friday evening because Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency deemed it necessary to keep them closed as the cloud of ash is still heavy and the volcanic eruption has yet to stop, the publication added. Airport closures will last until at least 10 p.m. Friday local time (11 a.m. ET), Garuda Airlines said in its website.
Garuda, Indonesia's flag carrier, has stopped booking flights for Saturday serving Bali or neighboring Lombok with some 3,000 travelers stranded Friday in the Bali airport, the Indonesian news site Detik reported.
The tourism industry in this part of Indonesia, where its cultural landmarks, island's beaches, surfing and nightlife had traditionally been at its peak at this time, but the volcanic eruption may disrupt it this year, the Bali Tourism Board said.
Some tourists are still insisting on reaching Bali, CNN reported and will do so via boat or land.
An Australian tourist named Emma Hardy told CNN that she and her family were planning to give up on their Bali trip and try to get to Thailand instead.
Another group of stranded travelers in Jakarta said they were going to attempt to make their way to Bali over land and sea.
A stranded businessman, Bruno Zysman, told Bloomberg that it would take him 10 hours to go to Bali as his flight got diverted to Surabaya, East Java.
