Jakarta, Sept 7. (dpa/GNA) – The eruption of Anak Krakatau volcano, continued to disrupt flights in Jakarta on Monday.
More than 1,500 flights and about 170,000 passengers had been affected, Indonesian news agency Antara reported, citing Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi.
Eight airports, including Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, had suspended flight operations due to volcanic ash. The Indonesian government had extended operating hours at other airports to ease pressure, Antara reported.
Indonesian meteorological agency BMKG, said the volcano, located in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra, had been erupting since Friday. Ash had been identified as high as 6,000 metres on the Java side, with a plume of up to 15,000 metres on the Sumatra side, BMKG said.
The volcano’s huge eruption in 2018, triggered a tsunami along the coasts of Sumatra and Java, killing 430 people, and caused it to lose much of its visible height.
Anak Krakatau, which means Child of Krakatau, was created after the legendary eruption of Krakatau volcano in 1883, which killed an estimated 35,000 people.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity. It is home to around 120 active volcanoes, more than any other country.
GNA