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Eight airports in Indonesia, including the country’s main international airport, have been shut down after Mount Anak Krakatau erupted and sent volcanic ash into the atmosphere.
The disruption has delayed 1,558 flights and left around 170,000 passengers stranded.
According to the country’s geological agency, Anak Krakatau produced a powerful eruption of lava and ash on Saturday (September 5). The sound of the eruption was reportedly heard hundreds of kilometres away, while further eruptions were recorded on Sunday.
Operations at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport were suspended after volcanic ash was detected in the air. As the eruption intensified, authorities extended the closure until 8:59am local time on Monday (September 7).
Seven other airports were also closed, including Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung and Raden Inten II Airport near Sumatra.
More than 900 of the affected flights were scheduled to arrive at or depart from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said several airports, including those in Semarang and Surabaya, had been prepared as alternatives to help manage the disruption.
With flights cancelled or delayed, many passengers have been forced to look for alternative routes. Heni Yensan, 44, said her flight to return to her hometown with her mother had been postponed until Tuesday. Although passengers were frustrated, she said most understood that the disruption was caused by a natural disaster.
Samuel Guiberto, a Danone employee trying to return to Jakarta from Lombok, said the situation remained uncertain. Even after he secured an alternative flight, it was cancelled, forcing him to remain in Lombok for the time being.
Volcanic ash also reached Bandar Lampung in southern Sumatra, coating roads and vehicles. Local resident Andre Bayu Saputra said he was concerned about the potential respiratory risks posed by the ash.
Meanwhile, authorities in Jakarta announced that all schools would remain closed on Monday, with classes conducted online. Remote learning was also introduced in Jakarta and Lampung because of health concerns related to the volcanic ash.
Anak Krakatau is located in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra. Ships operating in the area have been ordered to exercise extra caution, while vessels and people are prohibited from entering a three-kilometre exclusion zone around the volcano.
Experts say Anak Krakatau periodically becomes active. The catastrophic 1883 Krakatoa eruption killed an estimated more than 35,000 people, while a tsunami triggered by an Anak Krakatau eruption in 2018 killed more than 400 people.
Sources: NDTV, Reuters