Indonesia Volcano Eruption Could Halt Flights in Australia and Southeast Asia for Days

A gigantic cloud of ash that spewed from an active volcano in Indonesia could halt local and International flights for days, authorities said.

Major airlines in Australia have canceled all routes to and from Darwin and some flights to Bali, Indonesia amid reports that the Sangeang Api volcano located on Indonesia's Sunda Islands is erupting continuously.

"Depending on wind and other weather conditions, the ash has the potential to affect flights to and from other airports, including Brisbane, during coming days. This is currently being fully assessed," Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss told the Australian Associated Press.

The following videos show the cloud rising over a village in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's Garuda airlines canceled three local flights to Bali's Denpasar airport from nearby cities, although the ash cloud has not impacted Denpasar itself, an Indonesian transport ministry spokesman told AFP.

Two small airports located on neighboring central Indonesian islands also closed on Saturday, the spokesman said. The airport on the island of Sumbawa reopened after it shut down for several hours, while the airport on Sumba island could be closed until Sunday.

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Sangeang Api first erupted late Friday, sending an ash plume estimated to be between three and eight miles high into the atmosphere.

The nation's air navigation authority, Airservices Australia, are investigating the ash cloud, together with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), Truss said.

The BOM's Tim Birch from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Darwin told the AFP the “volcano is continuously erupting" and ash and debris could remain in the area for at least 18 hours.

Strong wings have pushed two clouds of volcanic ash to areas in northern and central Australia, while a third is lingering roughly 60 miles from Bali's Denpasar Airport, Birch said.

“All of the plumes will be affecting aviation,” he said.

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In mid-February, a massive eruption from a 5,680-foot-tall volcano on the Indonesian island of Java sent an ash cloud that fell as far as 370 miles away. Four people died when their roofs collapsed from the weight of the ash while over 100,000 people were temporarily evacuated from their homes.

Earlier in the same month at least 16 people died when Mount Sinabung in western Sumatra erupted several times, covering villages and farms in thick ash.

Indonesia is located on an arc of fault lines and volcanoes in the Pacific Basin known as the "Ring of Fire." Sangeang Api is among 130 active volcanoes spread across Indonesian islands.