Tourists, authorities feel the heat as Bali volcano keeps airport closed

Indonesia on Tuesday extended the closure of the airport on Bali as ash from a volcano swept the island, stranding thousands of tourists as authorities tried to persuade villagers to leave their homes near the erupting mountain. "Aircraft flight channels are covered with volcanic ash," the transport ministry said in a statement, citing aviation navigation authorities. Bali's airport, about 60km  from the Mount Agung volcano, will be closed until 7am on Wednesday, it said. Frustration at the country's second-busiest airport were starting to boil over, with an estimated 2,000 people attempting to get refunds and reschedule tickets. "There are thousands of people stranded here at the airport," said Nitin Sheth, a tourist from India. "They have to go to some other airport and they are trying to do that, but the government or authorities here are not helping." Others were more relaxed. "No, there’s not a lot of information ... very little. (But) it’s all right. We’re on holidays so it doesn’t matter. We don’t know what’s going to happen but we can get back to the bar and have another drink," said Matthew Radix from Perth. Ten alternative airports have been prepared for airlines to...