Around 170,000 passengers have been left stranded after a volcanic eruption forced Indonesian authorities to temporarily suspend operations at eight airports. Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was the first to be closed on Sunday morning after ash from Anak Krakatau was detected in airspace near the airport. The transport ministry reported that 1,558 flights have been delayed, with airports remaining closed until midnight.
The volcano began erupting late on Friday night, generating continuous seismic activity, lava fountains, and booming sounds across surrounding regions. Two additional eruptions occurred early on Sunday, according to authorities. The transport ministry noted that the pause in operations primarily affected flights to and from Singapore, as well as other international routes including Doha, Sydney, and Kuala Lumpur.
Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi stated that the decision to temporarily close more airports was made after tests indicated that volcanic ash had spread towards West Java. He urged airlines to expedite the refund process for affected passengers and to provide timely information to those with upcoming flights to prevent overcrowding at airports.
According to Indonesia's meteorological agency BMKG, ash reached altitudes of 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) on the Java side east of the volcano and 50,000 feet (15,000 meters) on the Sumatra side west of the volcano. Authorities confirmed that there is no tsunami warning associated with the recent volcanic activity, which is located in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra.
The health minister advised residents in affected areas to remain indoors and wear face masks to mitigate respiratory, eye, and skin risks. Local newspaper Kompas reported that several schools canceled activities on Saturday after students and residents experienced eye irritations from the ash. Some fishermen also canceled fishing trips at sea, similarly reporting sore eyes.
One resident, Aldi Candra Prayogi, described feeling irritation since Friday evening, stating it felt like "small grains of sand had gotten into my eyes," necessitating the use of eye drops for relief. He also mentioned that the dust is so thick that he has to sweep his front yard every five minutes.
Anak Krakatau, which translates to Child of Krakatoa, has been sporadically active since it emerged from the sea in the early 20th century in the caldera formed after the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa. The volcano collapsed in December 2018, triggering a tsunami that resulted in over 400 fatalities and displaced thousands more along the coastlines of Sumatra and Java. Scientists noted that some of the rock chunks that slid from the volcano during the collapse were approximately 70-90 meters high.
The Pacific Ring of Fire is a region characterized by a string of volcanoes, earthquake sites, and tectonic plates around the Pacific, extending across 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) from the southern tip of South America to New Zealand. About 90% of all earthquakes occur in this area, which contains 75% of all active volcanoes on Earth, totaling 452 individual active volcanoes.