KARANGASEM, INDONESIA – As towering columns of thick grey smoke continues to rise from Mount Agung, Indonesian authorities have extended the closure of Bali’s international airport for the third day on Wednesday (Nov 29).

In a Twitter post on early Wednesday, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport said due to the volcanic ashes of Mount Agung, the airport will remain closed till 7am on Thursday.

“Due to the closure, all flights both arriving and departing from I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport will be cancelled until further notice,” it added.

The international airport has been closed since 7.15am on Monday, following eruptions from Mount Agung. The closure of the airport affected 445 flights and saw at least 59,000 passengers stranded on Monday.

Mount Agung, located about 70km from the airport has continued erupting on Tuesday, sending plumes of smoke and ash about 3,000m above the crater. Its explosions can be heard about 12km away.

Volcanic ash poses a deadly threat to aircraft, and ash from Mount Agung is moving south-southwest toward the airport.

President Joko Widodo implored residents living in a zone around Agung deemed at risk to seek refuge in emergency centres, as winds sending an ash cloud southwest across the island once again halted flights. 

Authorities want residents in a radius of about eight km to 10 km around the volcano to head for emergency centres, warning a larger eruption could be "imminent". But some are reluctant to leave homes and livestock unattended.

"Those in the 8- to 10-kilometer radius must truly take refuge for safety," President Widodo told reporters.

He also asked emergency services, military, and officials to assist evacuees and help stranded tourists get home.

"There must not be any victims hit by the eruption," President Widodo said.

Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines said in an update on Facebook that flights to Bali remain cancelled.

The airline has arranged for customers to be transported through coaches and ferries from Bali to Surabaya, which will take about 18 hours. They will be flown back to Singapore via its flights from Surabaya.

Passengers who want to depart from Bali with this option are advised to email the airline with their names and original flight details. The coaches are scheduled to depart on Wednesday and customers will need to be the airport at 6am.

“Due to limited seats, customers are encouraged to proceed to the airport only if they receive a confirmation email from Singapore Airlines,” said the airline.

Passengers can also re-route their original flights to Bali over 27-29 Nov to other Southeast Asia destinations within the Singapore Airlines and SilkAir network within the same cabin class and is subjected to seat availability.

On Tuesday, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) advised Singaporeans to defer travel plans to Bali until the situation involving the Mount Agung volcano improves. The ministry urged Singaporeans in the affected areas to inform their family and friends of their whereabouts, as well as to e-Register at its portal so that it could contact if the need arises.  AGENCIES