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JAKARTA, Indonesia – Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia erupted early Sunday, leading to the temporary shutdown of flight operations at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport due to drifting volcanic ash over parts of western Indonesia.
According to Indonesia’s Geological Agency, the volcanic island located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra showed signs of increased activity on Saturday, culminating in a 30-second eruption at 3:53 a.m. Sunday.
Fortunately, no casualties have been reported, and no evacuation orders were issued. The closest inhabited area lies more than 16 kilometers (10 miles) away, but authorities have advised residents and visitors to maintain a safe distance of at least 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the volcano’s active crater.
Volcanic ash has spread across areas of Jakarta and Lampung province on Sumatra’s southern tip, prompting the country’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation to issue warnings. In response, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport announced a suspension of flight operations from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Sunday. Passengers at Indonesia’s busiest airport faced cancellations and sought refunds amid the disruption.
Satellite imagery analyzed by Indonesia’s volcanology agency and the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Australia revealed two ash clouds. One plume rose to about 20,000 feet (6,100 meters), drifting northeast and affecting Jakarta, Banten, West Java, and nearby waters. The second, more elevated cloud reached 50,000 feet (15,200 meters), moving westward and northwestward, covering parts of Banten, Lampung, Bengkulu provinces, the southern Sunda Strait, and sections of the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra.
Anak Krakatau’s previous major eruption in 2018 caused a deadly tsunami that claimed at least 430 lives across Sumatra and Java, underscoring the ongoing volcanic risk in the region. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely.