Jakarta, Sep 6: Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano erupted early Sunday, forcing the temporary suspension of flights at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport as volcanic ash spread across parts of western Indonesia.
The eruption occurred at 3:53 a.m. and lasted around 30 seconds, with authorities reporting visible lava flares from the volcano in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra.
No casualties or evacuations were reported. Authorities advised residents and visitors to stay at least 3 km from the active crater.
The eruption sent ash clouds over Jakarta, Banten, West Java and parts of Sumatra. One ash plume rose to about 20,000 feet, while another reached 50,000 feet, according to Indonesian authorities and Australia’s Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre.
Soekarno-Hatta airport suspended flight operations from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., affecting 209 flight movements and around 22,800 passengers. Several domestic and international flights were cancelled, delayed, diverted or rescheduled.
Authorities said they were closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with airlines and aviation agencies, while urging passengers to check flight updates before travelling to the airport.
Anak Krakatau, meaning “Child of Krakatau”, emerged from the sea after the catastrophic 1883 eruption of Krakatau. The volcano also triggered a deadly tsunami in 2018 that killed at least 430 people.
Anak Krakatau remains under the second-highest volcanic alert level in Indonesia.
