Following a huge column of ash spewed into the atmosphere last Tuesday, 27th of September, Indonesian authorities say they have evacuated most tourists from Mount Barujari on Lombok island.
It erupted without warning on Tuesday afternoon, delaying flights from the international airport on nearby Bali. The ash column reached 6,560 feet.
Mount Barujari, a popular attraction and also known as the Child of Rinjani, is located on Lombok island, east of Bali.
The volcano is located within the caldera of Mount Rinjani, Indonesia's second-highest volcano.
According to Fox News, the Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said more than 1,100 tourists left the Mount Rinjani area on Tuesday. A similar number left Wednesday.
Meanwhile according to Heronimus Guru, the deputy operations chief at Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency, that on Wednesday, the remaining tourists of about 50 people who are mostly foreigners, were heading down the mountain.
For tourists, if you already have flight arrangements to Bali, how will this affect your travel plans?
Even though, there have been no reports of injuries from the eruption, a danger zone of three kilometres has been declared around the crater and the volcano's alert has been upgraded to the third highest level.
Lombok's international airport remained open.
"We're constantly monitoring updates...and are constantly coordinating with related airport authorities," said Baskoro Adiwiyono, a spokesman for AirAsia Indonesia. AirAsia flights weren't affected by the eruption.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin, Australia, which monitors all volcanic activity in the region, said the eruption on Lombok had ceased and airspace had returned to normal, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
Rinjani is among about 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The archipelago is prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes because of its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire".
Meanwhile, passengers travelling to the region should contact their airline for information about their flight.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
