Indonesia volcano eruption strands over 20,000 passengers at Jakarta airport

More than 22,000 passengers were stranded at Indonesia's main international airport on Sunday after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau forced the suspension of hundreds of flights. Authorities detected ash in the airspace around Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta early that morning, prompting an operational halt that lasted several hours and rippled across international routes to Singapore, Doha, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur. The airport later announced that operations would remain suspended until 9:30 a.m. local time, according to a statement posted on its official Instagram account.

Anak Krakatau began erupting late on Friday night, producing continuous seismic activity, lava fountains and booming sounds that could be heard up to 700 kilometres away, according to Indonesia's geological agency. Two further eruptions were recorded early Sunday, the volcanology agency said. The volcano sits in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra and has been sporadically active since it emerged from the sea in the caldera formed after the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa.

The ash cloud reached heights of up to 15,000 metres on the Sumatra side and 6,000 metres on the Java side, the meteorological agency BMKG reported. Ash dispersal disrupted activities in Lampung province on Sumatra and Banten province on Java, according to Berton Panjaitan, a spokesperson for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency. Several schools cancelled activities on Saturday, and residents reported eye irritation from falling ash, local media outlet Kompas said.

No casualties or evacuation orders were reported. The disaster mitigation agency said there was no imminent risk of tsunami from the volcano, which also erupted in December 2018. Authorities warned residents and visitors to stay at least three kilometres from the active crater, while the health minister urged people in affected areas to remain indoors and wear face masks to protect against respiratory, eye and skin risks.

BNPB urges the public to remain calm while increasing vigilance. Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where high volcanic and seismic activity is common. Anak Krakatau, which means Child of Krakatau, is the offspring of the famous Krakatau volcano whose 1883 eruption triggered a period of global cooling and killed an estimated 35,000 people.