Volcano in Indonesia erupts, canceling hundreds of flights and stranding thousands

A volcano eruption in Indonesia has caused significant disruptions to air travel. According to CNBC, Mount Anak Krakatau's eruption disrupted hundreds of flights across Indonesia, with cancellations extending into Monday. The Indonesian Ministry of Transportation ordered the temporary closure of Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport due to airborne ash, impacting 964 flights at the country's main hub alone, as reported by Gulf News.

The eruption, which has been continuous since Friday, produced massive ash plumes extending up to 15,000 meters high, according to Gulf News. This has resulted in the cancellation of 1,558 flights across eight Indonesian airports, stranding approximately 170,000 passengers. The ash has also affected local education and fishing activities, with authorities in Jakarta and Lampung mandating remote learning for schools and advising residents to limit outdoor exposure and wear protective masks.

The nearest settlement to the volcano is more than 16 kilometers away, and no evacuation order was issued, as reported by Fortune. No casualties were reported. The Indonesian Geological Agency reported that the volcano erupted for 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. on Sunday and for 16 seconds about three hours later. Five Indonesian volcanoes, including Mount Anak Krakatau and Mount Semeru in East Java, are currently on Level 3 alert status.

Brief written by urgent.news from Euronews, CNBC, CNBC World, Gulf News, Fortune — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.