Volcano forces Bali airport to close for third time this month

Denpasar

Ash spewing from a volcano closed the airport on the Indonesian resort island of Bali Wednesday for the third time this month, forcing the cancellation of flights and stranding tourists during peak holiday season. 

Mount Raung on Indonesia's main island of Java, which has been rumbling for weeks, sent an ash cloud floating over Bali that closed the island's Ngurah Rai airport, the transport ministry said. 

Two small airports on Java serving domestic routes were also shut down, it added.

"Due to volcanic ash from Mount Raung, the Ngurah Rai airport is temporarily closed again from midday (0500 GMT)," ministry spokesman J. A. Barata told AFP. "We don't know when it will reopen, we will monitor the situation."

Volcanic ash from Raung had already closed Bali's international airport two times this month, between July 9 and 12, forcing almost 900 flights to be cancelled or delayed and creating a backlog that took days to clear. 

The shutdown on Bali, a top holiday destination that attracts millions of visitors from around the world to its palm-fringed beaches every year, has come during one of the busiest times of the year for the tourist industry.

The latest shutdown will also cause major disruption for domestic tourists, as millions are making their way back home after going away for last week's Muslim holiday of Eid.