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Indonesia shuts down three airports over Raung’s volcanic ash

Ash spewing from Mount Raung in East Java, Indonesia has closed three airports, stranding tourists in the country during the peak holiday season, announced the National Agency for Disaster Management on July 22.
Ash spewing from Mount Raung in East Java, Indonesia has closed threeairports, stranding tourists in the country during the peak holidayseason, announced the National Agency for Disaster Management on July22.

The eruption of Mount Raung, which rumbled for weeks, led tothe closure of Ngurah Rai International Airport in the resort island ofBali and two others on Java Island.

Earlier this month, Ngurah Rai airport was already closed two times, forcing 900 flights to be cancelled or delayed.

Theshutdowns of the Bali airport, a top holiday destination in Indonesia,have come during one of the busiest times in the year for the touristindustry.

Virgin Australia and Jetstar Australia Airlines have announced the cancellation of all flights to and from Bali.

Airtraffic is regularly disrupted by volcanic eruptions in Indonesia,which sits on a belt of seismic activity running around the basin of thePacific Ocean with around 130 active volcanoes.-VNA
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