Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in Indonesia has been erupting for several days, leaving thousands of tourists trapped on the holiday island as one influencer moaned she was having to miss a party
An influencer has been accused of being “tone deaf” as she complained about not being able to fly because of the volcanic eruption in Bali.
Tourists have been trapped on the holiday destination since Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in Indonesia started spewing lava. The eruptions have so far killed at least 10 people as thick brown ash spewed into the air and hot “ash bombs” rained down on a nearby village.
Several flights to and from Bali, one of the world ’s most popular destinations, have been cancelled as a result of the ash cloud. One of those affected was influencer Lauren Bullen, who moaned she was unable to get to a “bestie’s” hen do Down Under.
She said: “Anyone have info on flight cancellations in Bali? I have a very important weekend in Australia. I need to get to Australia by Friday for my bestie’s bachelorette.
“So I have to just wait and reassess tonight or tomorrow and then somehow wrangle a ticket because right now prices have rocketed to $2-3K a person economy.”
The post annoyed several people, reported news.AU. They reported one person saying: “People are literally dying in the country she lives in and she’s worried about a hens party. I’m a long time follower but I’ve had to unfollow.”
Another added: “I just find her extremely tone deaf. I don’t know if she wants us to feel sorry for her but this is her problem that doesn’t really need to be shared with the world.”
The Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation said in a statement how the 5,197 foot volcano shot ash into the sky at least 17 times on Tuesday, with the largest column recorded around five miles up. Authorities on Tuesday expanded the danger zone as the volcano erupted again as volcanic materials, including smouldering rocks, lava, and hot, thumb-size fragments of gravel and ash, were thrown up to 8 kilometres (5 miles) from the crater since Friday.
The activity at the volcano has disturbed flights at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport since the eruption started, airport general manager Ahmad Syaugi Shahab said. Over the past four days, 84 flights, including 36 scheduled to depart and 48 due to arrive, were affected.
Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin announced they would resume flights on Thursday telling customers to check their flight status before they travelled to the airport.
A Qantas spokesperson said they were monitoring the situation for any changes in volcanic activity and were working on plans to operate recovery flights so customers could fly as soon as possible.
“We are contacting customers directly to notify them of any changes to their travel plans,” a spokesperson said. “We appreciate the changing situation is frustrating and we thank customers for their understanding and patience.”
A Virgin spokesperson said all their scheduled flights would resume in and out of Denpasar on Thursday, and they would contact customers who had their flights cancelled to accommodate them in the coming days.
