Indonesia shuts main airport, seven others after Anak Krakatoa eruptions
JAKARTA: About 170,000 passengers were left stranded on Sunday as Indonesia shuttered its main international airport and seven others, cancelling hundreds of flights after Mount Anak Krakatoa spewed a plume of volcanic ash and lava from more than 150 kilometres away.
Indonesia's main international airport and seven others were closed on Sunday due to volcanic eruptions from Mount Anak Krakatoa, leaving about 170,000 passengers stranded, the country's transportation ministry reported. The eruptions occurred on Saturday, producing lava fountains and audible booms audible across hundreds of kilometers.
Two additional eruptions were detected on Sunday, prompting authorities to suspend flights until 8:59 am Monday. Ash from the volcano was detected in the airspace surrounding Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, prompting the closure of operations. Seven other airports, including Bandung and Bandar Lampung, were also suspended.
More than 900 flights were affected, with 1,558 delayed overall. Several alternative airports have been prepared, but many passengers are scrambling to find new flights. The volcano, which sits between Java and Sumatra, has been sporadically active since emerging from the sea in 1927, following the deadly 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa, which killed approximately 35,000 people.
The current eruptions pose no immediate threat of a tsunami, but materials ejected from the volcano could endanger those in the exclusion zone.
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Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano erupts, disrupts flights qatar-tribune.com
