Eight Indonesian airports remain shut as flights cancelled due to volcanic eruptions

Indonesia's transport minister announced that eight airports, including two in Jakarta, are still shut on Monday morning due to ash from eruptions at Mount Anak Krakatau. The volcano, located between Java and Sumatra islands, has been spewing ash since its late Friday eruption, causing flight cancellations and affecting around 170,000 people.

Main Jakarta airport will remain closed until 6 pm local time, with an uncertain end date, according to Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi. Seven more airports, serving nearby provinces, will remain closed until at least 8:59 am. The volcano monitoring agency warns of a high probability of further eruptions. Ash has reached heights of 20,000 feet on the Java side and 50,000 feet on the Sumatra side.

The disaster agency advised people to wear masks outdoors to avoid inhaling ash. Schools in Jakarta and Lampung have switched to remote learning to protect students from health risks. Indonesia is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Mount Anak Krakatau, meaning "child of Krakatau," emerged a century ago from the site of the older Krakatau volcano, which erupted catastrophically in 1883, killing over 36,000 people in tsunamis.