At least seven international flights scheduled to depart from the tourist island of Bali were cancelled today after another eruption at a volcano on the eastern Indonesian island of Flores, an airport official said.
The eruption of 5,703-foot (1,703-meter) Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki occurred late Thursday and lasted more than 11 minutes, with a column of ash rising about five miles above the summit, Indonesia's Volcanology Agency said.
The agency raised the alert to the highest level on a scale of four.
"Seven international flights have been cancelled, including six Jetstar flights to Australia and one Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur," Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport spokesperson Andadina Dyah said in a statement today.
Several other domestic and international flights, including to Thailand, Singapore and Australia, were delayed, it added.
Flores Island, from where many excursions depart, especially to Komodo National Park, is located approximately 800 kilometers east of Bali.
The local airport in Maumere, the closest to the volcano, was not affected by the ash, according to the Ministry of Transport.
The eruption began at 10:56 pm on Thursday (2:56 pm in Lisbon). No damage has been reported so far in nearby villages, but authorities have warned residents about the risk of volcanic mudflows due to heavy rains.
Authorities have imposed a seven- to eight-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano.
The eruption was accompanied by loud noises that could be heard in the town of Maumere, more than 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of the volcano, and in the Larantuka district, more than 50 kilometers (31 miles) to the west, the geological agency said in a statement.
The volcano had already erupted several times in November, killing nine people, injuring 31 and forcing the evacuation of 11,000 people.
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