Volcanic Ash from Anak Krakatau Shuts Eight Indonesian Airports

Eight Indonesian airports, including two serving Jakarta, remained closed on Monday because of volcanic ash from eruptions at Mount Anak Krakatau.

Ash from the volcano, which lies between the islands of Java and Sumatra, has blanketed Jakarta and several surrounding areas since it erupted late on Friday. The resulting flight cancellations have affected around 170,000 people.

Jakarta’s main airport was to remain closed until 6 p.m. local time, while the seven others were due to stay shut until at least 8:59 a.m. They included airports serving the nearby provinces of Lampung and West Java.

Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said changing weather conditions made it impossible to determine when the disruption would end. The latest volcanic activity was recorded on Sunday evening. The monitoring agency warned that the likelihood of further eruptions remained high.

Ash reached heights of up to 6 km on the Java side of the volcano and 15 km on the Sumatra side and in parts of Banten province. Authorities have advised residents to wear face masks outdoors. Schools in Jakarta and Lampung are using remote learning because of the health risks posed by the ash.

Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes and volcanic activity are common. Anak Krakatau began forming about a century ago in the same area as the original Krakatau volcano, which was largely destroyed in 1883. The disaster triggered a series of tsunamis that killed more than 36,000 people.

(Reuters, bak)