Indonesian authorities have prepared 10 airports to handle diverted flights if a rumbling volcano on the tourist island of Bali erupts, the country’s transport ministry said on Wednesday.
Mount Agung in the north-eastern part of Bali has shown increased activity for weeks, prompting the government to raise its alert to the highest level on Friday.
The transportation ministry said it had also prepared 100 buses to move tourists to airports on the neighbouring islands of Java and Lombok in the event of an eruption.
Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport was operating normally on Wednesday but an eruption could throw travel plans into chaos.
Immigration leniency will be given to foreigners, who overstay due to their flights being disrupted, ministry spokesman, Baitul Ihwan, said.
More than 82,000 people have fled their homes near the volcano and sought refuge in government buildings, sports halls and in tents on open fields, as well as with relatives.
The 3,031-metre Mount Agung last erupted for almost a year between 1963 and 1964, killing about 1,200 people.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific’s Ring of Fire, an area known for frequent seismic upheavals and volcanic eruptions.
The country is home to about 130 active volcanoes.
dpa/NAN.