Tourists stranded as volcanic eruption closes airports

Thousands of tourists were stranded on three Indonesian islands after ash from the Mount Rinjani volcano forced the closure of airports and blanketed villages and farmlands.

Mount Rinjani on Lombok Island blasted ash and debris 3,500 meters into the air on Wednesday, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman.

The eruption forced cancelation of flights at Ngurah Rai international airport in Bali and at Selaparang airport in Mataram, the capital of West Nusatenggara province, located on Lombok Island.