Bali volcano eruptions shut down flights

BALI, INDONESIA — Volcanic eruptions from Bali's Mount Agung has caused officials to cancel flights and evacuate around 24,000 residents.

Mount Agung erupted on Saturday night and three times on Sunday, sending a thick ash cloud thousands of meters up into the atmosphere, the Guardian reported.

Bali's international airport was forced to close. Massive plumes of ash have been blowing towards the east, which also caused Lombok International Airport on Pulau Lombok to temporarily close, according to CNN.

An exclusion zone up to 10 km from the crater has been put in place, with officials warning anyone still in the area to leave.
Agung is classified as a stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano. They are conical volcanoes that are built up by many layers of hardened, lava, tephra, pumice and volcanic ash.
Mount Agung erupted for the first time in 50 years in September, prompting an evacuation of more than 185,000 people. In 1963, a large eruption killed around 1,100 people, according to the Guardian.