World
Anak Krakatoa Eruption Grounds Flights, Strands 170,000 Passengers Across Indonesia
By AFP
Indonesia closed its main international airport along with seven other airports on Sunday, cancelling hundreds of flights and leaving roughly 170,000 passengers stranded after Mount Anak Krakatoa erupted, sending volcanic ash and lava across a wide area.
The volcano, located more than 150 kilometers from the affected airports, erupted on Saturday, producing a lava fountain and loud booming sounds audible up to several hundred kilometers away, according to Indonesia's geology agency. The volcanology agency reported two additional eruptions on Sunday.
Ash from the eruption was detected in the airspace near Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, leading authorities to halt operations there. The transportation ministry extended the suspension until 8:59 a.m. Monday, citing increased volcanic activity. Seven other airports, including Husein Sastranegara in Bandung and Radin Inten II near Bandar Lampung on Sumatra, also suspended operations until the same time.
The ministry reported that 1,558 flights were delayed across the eight affected airports, with more than 900 of them connected to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport alone. Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said airports in cities such as Semarang and Surabaya had been designated as alternative landing sites.
The disruptions forced many travelers to search for new flight arrangements. Henny Yensan, 44, who was trying to return to her hometown with her mother, said she had to reschedule her flight to Tuesday but noted that passengers largely remained calm given the natural cause of the delays. Samuel Guiberteau, a 47-year-old Danone executive on a business trip in Lombok, said he found an alternate flight on Citilink, but it too was cancelled, leaving him without options but to remain in Lombok for now.
Volcanic ash also fell on Bandar Lampung, at the southern tip of Sumatra, covering vehicles and roads. Resident Andre Bayu Saputra, 25, expressed concern about potential respiratory health risks from the ash.
In response to the eruption, schools throughout Jakarta will shift to online classes on Monday, according to a city statement that did not specify how long the measure would remain in effect.
Anak Krakatoa, meaning "Child of Krakatoa," is situated in the strait between Java and Sumatra. Local port authorities urged ships passing through the strait to exercise increased caution due to potential navigation hazards and barred vessels from entering a three-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano.
The volcano has shown intermittent activity since it emerged from the sea in the early 1900s, forming within the caldera left by the catastrophic 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa, which killed an estimated 35,000 people and remains one of history's deadliest volcanic disasters.
Lana Saria, head of the geology agency, said seismic activity suggests movement or release of volcanic fluids within the system but cautioned that the timing, scale, and character of any future eruption cannot be accurately forecast. She warned people to stay away from Anak Krakatoa, noting that material ejected from the volcano could pose a danger to anyone within the exclusion zone.