KUCHING – Cousins Qlaressa Aessherra Ezat Fahmy and Aida Syakirah Zainuddin are among passengers stranded at Kuching International Airport today after flights were cancelled due to the ash clouds arising from Mount Ruang’s eruption in north Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Law student Qlaressa and business student Aida were supposed to fly back to Kuala Lumpur after their Hari Raya Aidilfitri break at 12.30pm on an AirAsia flight.
AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines and Batik Air cancelled flights between Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and East Malaysia today due to the volcanic eruption.
“My grandmother advised me that today may not be a good day to fly as the current situation is dangerous but on the other hand, I am missing my cats, one of them is pregnant.”
Qlaressa said they did not receive any notice about the cancellation and only found out when they arrived at the airport around 10.30am.
“We may not be waiting the whole day here, but still, we are hoping for another flight today.”
The cousins were seen waiting accompanied by Aida Syakirah’s father Zainuddin and her sister Dania.
It was reported that Indonesian rescuers raced to evacuate thousands of people today after Mount Ruang erupted five times, forcing authorities to close a nearby airport and issue a warning about falling debris that could cause a tsunami.
The crater of Mount Ruang flamed with lava against a backdrop of lightning bolts overnight after erupting four times on Wednesday, forcing authorities to raise its alert level to the highest of a four-tiered system.
The volcano in Indonesia’s outermost region was still billowing a column of smoke this morning, prompting authorities to shut the nearest international airport in Manado city on Sulawesi island for 24 hours. – April 18, 2024