Indonesia canceled flights at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and closed airspace around several other airports after Anak Krakatau erupted early Sunday. The country’s Geological Agency said the eruption lasted about 30 seconds and began at 3:53 a.m. Closed-circuit footage showed lava flares from the volcanic island in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra.
By midafternoon, 516 flight movements had been affected, including 202 at Soekarno-Hatta involving about 22,800 passengers, according to the Associated Press. Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta and four other airports, including Radin Inten II in Lampung, were also affected. Services at Bali and Medan experienced disruption as airlines and air-navigation agencies adjusted routes and schedules.
Satellite monitoring identified two ash clouds. One rose to about 20,000 feet and drifted northeast over Jakarta, Banten, West Java and nearby waters. A second reached about 50,000 feet and spread over parts of Banten, Lampung and Bengkulu, the southern Sunda Strait and the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra. Ash at those altitudes creates a direct hazard for aircraft engines and visibility.
No casualties were reported and officials issued no evacuation order. The nearest settlement is more than 16 kilometers from the crater, while authorities told residents and visitors to remain at least three kilometers away. Geological Agency head Lana Saria said activity had intensified since July and described Sunday’s eruption as the strongest during the current period of unrest.
Officials identified ash, high gas concentrations and ejected hot material as the main hazards near the crater. They also said monitoring data did not permit a reliable prediction of a larger eruption. Anak Krakatau grew from the caldera left by the 1883 Krakatau eruption; a partial collapse during a 2018 eruption generated a tsunami that killed at least 430 people in Java and Sumatra.