Bali volcanic eruption, flights affected: Several international airlines resumed flights to and from Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Thursday, after multiple eruptions of the Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano, which sent ash plumes up to 10 km (16 miles) into the atmosphere. The eruptions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Nusa Tenggara province led to the cancellation of over 160 flights to and from Bali between Nov. 4 and Nov. 13, with 91 flights suspended on Wednesday alone – the highest in a single day, according to Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, general manager of Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar. East Nusa Tenggara is situated around 800 km (497 miles) from Bali’s popular tourist areas. Indonesia's Vice President, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is set to visit several areas affected by the eruption on Thursday and will distribute aid to residents. The first eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki on Nov. 3 resulted in at least nine fatalities, damaged over 2,000 homes, and forced the evacuation of 13,000 residents. Virgin Australia announced that it had resumed all scheduled flights in and out of Denpasar. Jetstar and Qantas stated that some flights to and from Bali had resumed on Thursday morning as conditions improved. Ahmad noted that 41 flights remained cancelled on Thursday, including flights from Singapore, India, Qatar, and various cities in Australia. Indonesia has close to 130 active volcanoes and lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an area of high seismic activity due to tectonic plate movements. (With inputs from Reuters)
