Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano erupted early Sunday, prompting the cancellation of all flights at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport as volcanic ash drifted across parts of western Indonesia.
Indonesia’s Geological Agency said the volcanic island located in Indonesia's Sundda Strait between the main Java and Sumatra islands showed signs of activity Saturday and erupted for 30 seconds at 3.53am Sunday (local time).
There were no casualties reported and no evacuation order issued. The nearest settlement is more than 16km. But the agency warned residents and visitors to stay at least 3km from the volcano’s active crater.
Volcanic ash spread across parts of the capital Jakarta and Lampung province on the southern tip of Sumatra island, Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.
"Due to increased activity from the Mount Anak Krakatau eruption, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has temporarily suspended flight operations from 5.30am to 9.30am," the airport said in a travel advisory early Sunday.
Passengers at the country’s busiest airport sought refunds and reclaimed checked baggage as departure boards displayed a growing list of cancelled flights.
Indonesia's volcanology agency and the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Australia identified two ash clouds using satellite imagery.
One plume rose to an altitude of 6100m while drifting northeast, affecting parts of Jakarta, Banten, West Java and surrounding waters.
A second cloud reached 15,200m and was moving westward and northwestward, covering parts of Banten, Lampung and Bengkulu provinces, the southern Sunda Strait and sections of the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra.
The explosive collapse of Anak Krakatau caused a tsunami in 2018 that killed at least 430 people in Sumatra and Java.
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