Indonesia cancels flights at Jakarta airport as Anak Krakatau volcano erupts
Summary
Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano erupted early Sunday, prompting cancellation of all flights at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport as ash drifted across western Indonesia. The eruption lasted 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m., and authorities said there were no casualties and no evacuation order. Officials warned people to stay at least 3 kilometers from the active crater. Ash clouds were tracked over Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Lampung, Bengkulu and parts of the Indian Ocean.
Key Facts
- Indonesia’s Geological Agency said the volcano showed signs of activity on Saturday before erupting for 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. Sunday.
- Soekarno-Hatta International Airport suspended flight operations from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in response to the eruption.
- The nearest settlement is more than 16 kilometers from the volcano, and no evacuation order was issued.
- One ash plume rose to 20,000 feet and drifted northeast, while a second reached 50,000 feet and moved westward and northwestward.
- Anak Krakatau’s 2018 collapse caused a tsunami that killed at least 430 people in Sumatra and Java.
Travelers walk past an information board showing disrupted flights at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Sept. 6. AP-Yonhap
JAKARTA, Indonesia — 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 Sunda Strait between the main Java and Sumatra islands showed signs of activity Saturday and erupted for 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. Sunday.
There were no casualties reported and no evacuation order issued. The nearest settlement is more than 16 kilometers (10 miles). But the agency warned residents and visitors to stay at least 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) 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 Center 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 5:30 a.m. to 9.30 a.m.,” 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 canceled flights.
Indonesia's volcanology agency and the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Australia identified two ash clouds using satellite imagery.
Travelers wait for their flights at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Sept. 6. AP-Yonhap
One plume rose to an altitude of 20,000 feet (6,100 meters) while drifting northeast, affecting parts of Jakarta, Banten, West Java and surrounding waters.
A second cloud reached 50,000 feet (15,200 meters) 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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