Jakarta: An eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau has disrupted air travel and daily activities in parts of Indonesia, with volcanic ash affecting Jakarta and surrounding areas.
Soekarno Hatta International Airport suspended flight operations on Sunday because of volcanic ash, affecting 209 flights, including several international services, according to Indonesia’s transport ministry.
The airport had initially planned to suspend operations until 5:30 am, but the closure was extended until 9:30 am as ash remained in the area.
Mount Anak Krakatau has been erupting since late Friday. Indonesia’s meteorological agency reported volcanic ash reaching about 20,000 feet on the Java side of the volcano, while a plume rose to about 50,000 feet over the Sumatra side and parts of Banten province.
The eruption also disrupted activities on the ground. Several schools cancelled activities after students and residents reported eye irritation caused by ash. Fishermen also suspended trips because of safety concerns.
Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency urged residents to remain alert and advised people to wear masks and eye protection, limit outdoor activities, cover water sources and drive carefully because volcanic ash can reduce visibility.
Authorities said there was no immediate tsunami threat from the eruption. However, the volcano has a significant history of causing hazards. An eruption in 2018 triggered a tsunami that killed and injured hundreds of people on Java and Sumatra.
Anak Krakatau emerged from the area of the former Krakatau volcano, whose catastrophic eruption in 1883 killed more than 36,000 people. The latest activity highlights the continuing risks faced by communities and transport networks in Indonesia, which lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The Pacific Ring of Fire is a vast zone around the edges of the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently. It forms a roughly horseshoe shaped belt stretching from New Zealand and Indonesia through Japan and the Philippines, around the Pacific to Alaska and down the western coasts of North and South America.
Indonesia lies directly within this zone because several tectonic plates meet and interact there. This is why the country has more than 100 active volcanoes and experiences frequent earthquakes.
While Mount Anak Krakatau is a volcano in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, roughly halfway between the islands of Java and Sumatra. It is located in Banten province, west of Jakarta.
