Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano erupted early Sunday, prompting the temporary suspension of all flight operations at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport as volcanic ash drifted across parts of western Indonesia.
Indonesia’s Geological Agency said the volcanic island in the Sunda Strait, between the main islands of Java and Sumatra, showed signs of activity on Saturday before erupting for 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. Sunday.
No casualties were reported and no evacuation order was issued. The nearest settlement is more than 16 kilometres (10 miles) away.
However, the agency advised residents and visitors to remain at least 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) from the volcano’s active crater.
Ash clouds spread across several regions
Volcanic ash spread across parts of Jakarta and Lampung province on the southern tip of Sumatra, according to Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation.
“Due to increased activity from the Mount Anak Krakatau eruption, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has temporarily suspended flight operations from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.,” the airport said in a travel advisory early Sunday.
Passengers at Indonesia’s busiest airport sought refunds and collected their checked baggage as departure boards showed a growing number of cancelled flights.
Indonesia’s volcanology agency and Australia’s Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre identified two ash clouds through satellite imagery.
The first plume rose to an altitude of 20,000 feet (6,100 metres) and drifted northeast, affecting parts of Jakarta, Banten, West Java and surrounding waters.
The second cloud reached 50,000 feet (15,200 metres) and moved westward and northwestward, covering parts of Banten, Lampung and Bengkulu provinces, the southern Sunda Strait and sections of the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra.
Anak Krakatau’s deadly history
Anak Krakatau’s explosive collapse caused a tsunami in 2018 that killed at least 430 people in Sumatra and Java.
