Hundreds of flights were canceled at Jakarta’s international airport after Indonesia‘s Anak Krakatau volcano erupted early Sunday morning, more than 150 kilometers (93 miles) away.
The volcano produced a fountain of lava and loud sounds heard up to 700 kilometres (435 miles) away, Indonesia’s geological agency said in a statement.
The cloud of ash was detected up to a height of 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) on the Java side of the volcano and a plume of up to 15,000 meters (50,000 feet) on the Sumatra side and some parts of Banten province in Java, the meteorological agency BMKG posted on its website.
No incidents of casualties were reported, and no evacuation orders were issued.
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The closest township is more than 16 kilometers (10 miles) away, but the authorities warned residents and visitors to stay at least 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the volcano‘s active crater.
Two new eruptions were recorded on Sunday, the volcanology agency warned.
Indonesia cancels flights
The ash spread across parts of the capital Jakarta and Lampung province on the southern tip of Sumatra island, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.
The spread of ash after the volcanic eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau disrupted operations at Jakarta’s international airport.
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport posted on Instagram that it had suspended flight operations until 9:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) due to volcanic ash.
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“Due to increased activity from the Mount Anak Krakatau eruption, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has temporarily suspended flight operations from 5:30 a.m. to 9.30 a.m.,” the airport said.
The disruption of flight operations has impacted more than 22,000 passengers, the transport ministry said in a statement, adding that 209 flights were affected, particularly to and from Singapore.
Anak Krakatau lies in the middle between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia’s vast island chain, which sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent.
Anak Krakatau means “Child of Krakatau.” The volcano is the offspring of the famous Krakatau, whose monumental eruption in 1883 triggered a period of global cooling.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko
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