Thousands of tourists were stranded on Friday as Bali shuttered its international airport following a volcanic eruption on the Indonesian resort island that shot a thick plume of ash and smoke thousands of metres into the sky, officials said.<br /><br />The early morning closure of Ngurah Rai airport sparked the cancellation of nearly 450 flights to and from the tropical paradise. Mount Agung shot a tower of smoke and ash some over 2,000 metres (6,500 feet) into the sky Thursday evening.
