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Indonesia's volcanic eruption grounds international flights on tourist island of Bali

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Indonesia's volcanic eruption grounds international flights on tourist island of Bali
News

News

Indonesia's volcanic eruption grounds international flights on tourist island of Bali

2024-11-13 16:38 Last Updated At:16:40

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — Several international airlines canceled flights to and from Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali on Wednesday as an ongoing volcanic eruption left travelers stranded at airports.

Tourists told The Associated Press that they have been stuck at Bali’s airport since Tuesday after their flights were suddenly canceled.

“The airline did not provide accommodation, leaving us stranded at this airport,” said Charlie Austin from Perth, Australia, who was on vacation in Bali with his family.

Another Australian tourist, Issabella Butler, opted to find another airline that could fly her home.

“The important thing is that we have to be able to get out of here,” she said.

Media reports said that thousands of people were stranded at airports in Indonesia and Australia, but an exact number wasn't given.

Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano on the remote island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara province spewed towering columns of hot ash high into the air since its initial huge eruption on Nov. 4 killed nine people and injured dozens of others.

The 1,584-meter (5,197-foot) volcano shot up ash at least 17 times on Tuesday, with the largest column recorded at 9 kilometers (5½ miles) high, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation said in a statement.

Authorities on Tuesday expanded the danger zone as the volcano erupted again to 9 kilometers (5½ miles) as volcanic materials, including smoldering rocks, lava, and hot, thumb-size fragments of gravel and ash, were thrown up to 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the crater since Friday.

The activity at the volcano has disturbed flights at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai international airport since the eruption started, airport general manager Ahmad Syaugi Shahab said. Over the past four days, 84 flights, including 36 scheduled to depart and 48 due to arrive, were affected.

Shahab said that at least 26 domestic flights and 64 overseas ones were canceled on Wednesday alone, including airlines from Singapore, Hong Kong, Qatar, India and Malaysia. For these cancellations, the airlines were offering travelers a refund, or to reschedule or reroute, he said.

Three Australian airlines have also canceled or delayed a number of flights. Jetstar has paused its flights to Bali until at least Thursday, it said on its website, saying it was “currently not safe” to operate the route.

Virgin Australia’s website showed 10 services to and from Bali were canceled on Wednesday. Qantas said it has delayed three flights. Some airlines are offering fare refunds for upcoming Bali flights to passengers who don't want to travel.

Air New Zealand canceled a flight to Denpasar scheduled for Wednesday and a return service to Auckland due to depart Bali on Thursday. Passengers would be rebooked and the airline would continue to monitor the movement of ash in the coming days, Chief Operating Officer Alex Marren said.

Korean Air said two of its flights headed to Bali were forced to turn back because of volcanic ash caused by the eruption.

The airline said Wednesday that the two flights — carrying about 400 passengers combined — that departed South Korea’s Incheon international airport on Tuesday turned back toward the origin departure a few hours later, following forecasts that said Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport could be affected by the volcanic ash. The two planes arrived in Incheon early Wednesday.

About 6,500 people were evacuated in January after Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki began erupting, spewing thick clouds and forcing the government to close the island’s Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport. No casualties or major damage were reported, but the airport has remained closed because of seismic activity.

Three other airports in neighboring districts of Ende, Larantuka and Bajawa have been closed since Monday after Indonesia’s Air Navigation issued a safety warning because of volcanic ash.

Lewotobi Laki Laki is one of a pair of stratovolcanoes in the East Flores district of East Nusa Tenggara province, known locally as the husband-and-wife mountains. “Laki laki” means man, while its mate is Lewotobi Perempuan, or woman. It’s one of the 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, an archipelago of 280 million people.

The country is prone to earthquakes, landslides and volcanic activity because it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.

Niniek Karmini reported from Jakarta. Charlotte Graham-McLay in Wellington, New Zealand, and Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

Passengers look at a flight information board showing a number of flights cancelled due to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Passengers look at a flight information board showing a number of flights cancelled due to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A passenger checks a flight information board showing flights cancelled due to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A passenger checks a flight information board showing flights cancelled due to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Passengers look at a flight information board after a number of flights are cancelled due to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Passengers look at a flight information board after a number of flights are cancelled due to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Republicans and Democrats awaited the outcome of vote-counting for crucial U.S. House districts in California on Wednesday, as the GOP moved within one win of maintaining control of the chamber next year.

In a rematch from 2022, Rep. Ken Calvert — the longest-serving Republican in the state’s congressional delegation — defeated rival Democrat Will Rollins in the 41st District, which lies east of Los Angeles and was a top target for national Democrats.

In Southern California's Orange County, Democrat Dave Min defeated Republican Scott Baugh in a closely divided swing district, ending Baugh's bid to seize the seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. Katie Porter in what was once a conservative stronghold.

The 47th District, southeast of Los Angeles, was a top target for national Republicans looking to protect and possibly expand the their narrow majority.

Calvert, who was backed by President-elect Donald Trump, claimed his 17th term in a district narrowly carried by Trump in 2020.

“This is a hard-fought victory that shows voters want someone who will put results above partisan politics,” Calvert said in a post on the social platform X.

Min, also posting on X, said that in Congress he will “fight to protect our democracy, safeguard our freedoms and expand economic opportunity.”

Baugh said on the same platform that “despite running a strong campaign … that effort is going to come up a little short.”

On Tuesday, Republican Rep. David Valadao’s victory in California’s 22nd District moved Republicans within two wins of retaining the House gavel, with the tally 216-207 in favor of the GOP, as counting continued in a sliver of races across the country.

With Calvert's win, the Republican tally reached 217.

Several races remained in play in California that could determine control of the House.

In the 45th District, anchored in Orange County, Republican Rep. Michelle Steel's lead over Democrat Derek Tran was whittled down to a few hundred votes as counting continued.

California is known as a liberal protectorate — Democrats hold every statewide office, dominate the Legislature and congressional delegation and outnumber registered Republicans by a staggering 2-1 ratio. Still, Republicans retain pockets of political clout in the Southern California suburbs and vast rural stretches, including the Central Valley farm belt.

Orange County was once considered conservative holy ground, where white, suburban homeowners delivered winning margins for Republicans year after year. It was a foundational block in the Reagan revolution. But the county has become more demographically diverse and Democratic over time, like much of the state.

The 47th District, which includes Huntington Beach and other famous surf breaks, has been occupied by Porter, a progressive favorite who in 2022 narrowly defeated Baugh, a former Republican legislator. Porter, known for grilling CEOs during Capitol Hill hearings, stepped aside to run for U.S. Senate, but lost in the primary.

Given the stakes in the closely divided district, the contest was especially rancorous. Min ads called Baugh a “MAGA extremist” who would endanger abortion rights. Baugh said Min’s “extreme liberal views” were out of step with the district.

FILE - Scott Baugh poses outside a polling place after voting in Huntington Beach, Calif., June 5, 2018. (AP Photo/Krysta Fauria, File)

FILE - Scott Baugh poses outside a polling place after voting in Huntington Beach, Calif., June 5, 2018. (AP Photo/Krysta Fauria, File)

FILE - California state Sen. Dave Min speaks to reporters in Huntington Beach, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia, File)

FILE - California state Sen. Dave Min speaks to reporters in Huntington Beach, California, on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia, File)

FILE - Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FILE - Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

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