Located on the tourist island of Flores, East Bali, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted at 5:35 pm local time on Tuesday. (screengrab-X/Heroiam_Slava)

Bali, Indonesia: Several flights to and from Bali were cancelled after a volcanic eruption near Indonesia’s popular tourist island spewed a colossal ash tower into the sky on Tuesday.

Located on the tourist island of Flores, East Bali, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted at 5:35 pm local time on Tuesday. Officials raised Indonesia’s disaster alert level to the highest of a four-tiered system in response to the 1,584 m twin-peaked volcano eruption.

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Singapore Airlines, Jetstar Airways, AirAsia X, Batik Air, and Wings Air were among the carriers that temporarily halted services due to the volcanic activity.

Nearly 30 flights have been cancelled so far, reported Reuters, citing data from Bali’s international airport.

Meanwhile, the Despasar airport, the main gateway to Bali’s tourist hotspot, remained open. Some flights, including PT Garuda Indonesia, were reportedly still checking passengers in.

“The height of the eruption column was observed at approximately 10,000 metres above the summit. The ash column was observed to be grey with thick intensity,” it said, after the alert level was raised.

Virgin Australia confirmed some flights between Brisbane and Melbourne and Bali were cancelled on Wednesday due to the eruption. Air New Zealand cancelled two flights between Bali and Auckland on Wednesday, saying it would “continue to closely monitor” the volcanic ash cloud.

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Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times in November, killing nine people and forcing thousands to evacuate, as well as the cancellation of scores of international flights to Bali.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.