Mount Agung's eruption continues; Bali airport operations 'normal'

A view of Bali's Mount Agung after an eruption on June 30, 2018. Mount Agung has shown increasing volcanic activity since June 27, 2018. PHOTO: AFP

JAKARTA (JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Bali's Mount Agung erupted again at 6.19am local time on Monday (July 2), spewing a 2,000m-high ash column and thick smoke into the sky.

The eruption lasted three minutes and 47 seconds, said the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

"The eruption did not cause the volcanic ash to spread. Hence, airport operations in Bali and the surrounding areas remain normal," BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on his official Twitter account on Monday.

Mount Agung, the tallest mountain on the resort island of Bali, has shown increasing volcanic activity since last Wednesday (June 27).

Bali's Ngurah Rai airport, also known as Denpasar International Airport, was closed for nearly 12 hours last Friday, following a volcanic eruption. More than 300 flights were cancelled during the closure.

Almost 27,000 passengers were affected as 203 domestic and 115 international flights were axed after the airport was shut at 3am on June 29. It was reopened at 2.30pm the same day.

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