Fury unleashed: A handout from Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency showing people in Sitaro, North Sulawesi, looking at the Mount Ruang volcano, as it spews smoke. — AFP/National Search and Rescue Agency (BasarnasVolcano’s fury sparks tsunami alert
Lives interrupted: Sharul’s daughter’s flight was among the flights cancelled. (Right) Miguel says suspended flights meant students couldn’t get back to their classes in Sarawak.
PETALING JAYA: From family members and students to a would-be bridegroom, the eruption of Mount Ruang volcano in Sulawesi, Indonesia, has caused widespread disruptions to Malaysians – and even their pets – between the peninsula and the South China Sea.
Those affected by the cancelled flights to and from Sabah and Sarawak took to social media to share their experiences yesterday.
On X (formerly Twitter), Tiffa Riza expressed sadness for being unable to return to Kuching to pick up her cats.
“Please pray that my flight doesn’t get delayed because of the volcano eruption. I want to go pick up my cats,” she wrote before finding out about the cancellation of her flight.
She later updated her X status: “I can’t go home because of the volcano. Inbound and outbound flights from Sabah and Sarawak are all cancelled for today and tomorrow.”
A Facebook user, Han Budak Cina, said he was making a trip back to Sarawak yesterday for his wedding tomorrow.
“I was planning to go to Sarawak today (yesterday) ... I’m getting married this Saturday,” he wrote.
Another X user known as Miguel said many Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) students from Peninsular Malaysia couldn’t return to their classes in Sarawak following the suspended flights.
“Unimas students from the peninsula who want to go to Sabah and Sarawak this week can’t do so as all flights have been suspended,” he wrote.
Ju Razalli, whose flight from Penang to Sabah was suspended, attached a video of passengers queueing up to leave the aircraft with her post on Facebook.
“All passengers were instructed to leave (the aircraft).
“All flights to Sabah are cancelled effective immediately. Sabah’s airspace is closed,” she wrote.
Sharul Wong posted on Facebook that her daughter’s Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight from Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) scheduled for departure at 9.50am yesterday was also cancelled.
“Now, she is at KKIA, waiting for MAS to reschedule her flight,” he said.
According to news reports, over 2,000 passengers were stranded at Terminal 2 of KLIA due to the eruption of Mount Ruang.
The cancelled flights involve those to Sandakan, Labuan, Miri, Sibu, Bintulu, Kuching and Brunei, which are expected to be affected until 8am today.
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Volcano’s fury sparks tsunami alert
Eruption sends air traffic into chaos
Making the best of a bad situation
