Anak Krakatau Eruption Halts Flights, School Activities and Fishing in Indonesia

Reuters

A drone view shows Mount Anak Krakatau volcano spewing hot ash during an eruption, in South Lampung, Lampung province, Indonesia, 5 September 2026.

An eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau forced six airports to suspend flight operations on Sunday, disrupting hundreds of flights at Jakarta’s main airport, while some school activities and fishing operations were also halted.

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport suspended flight operations ‌until 1:30 p.m. (0630 GMT) due to volcanic ash, the airport posted on Instagram, stranding hundreds of passengers at the facility.

The suspension has affected 301 flights, including 58 international flights, airport operator Angkasa Pura said in a statement. Singapore Airlines said it had cancelled flights to and from Jakarta for the rest of the day.

Anak Krakatau, which is roughly halfway between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia's vast island chain, has been erupting since late on Friday, with volcanic ash detected at the airport early on Sunday, the transport ministry said.

Ash reached as high as 20,000 feet (6,000 metres) on the Java side of the volcano and 50,000 feet (15,000 metres) on the Sumatra side ⁠and some parts of Banten province in Java, meteorological agency BMKG posted on its website.

The disaster mitigation agency BNPB said it would conduct a weather modification operation, which could include cloud-seeding, on Sunday to promote rain.

"If it rains heavily enough, the volcanic ash that has been disrupting our daily lives since yesterday and ‌continuing today will ⁠be washed away quickly," BNPB chief Suharyanto told a press conference.

BNPB "urges the public to remain calm while increasing vigilance. In the event of ashfall, people are advised to wear masks and eye protection, reduce outdoor activities, cover water sources and exercise caution when driving, as volcanic ash can reduce visibility," said spokesperson Berton Panjaitan.

Ferries in Sunda Strait were operating normally, the transport ministry said, urging vessels to stay at least 3 km (2 miles) away from Anak Krakatau's crater and remain vigilant for volcanic hazards, including volcanic ash and other ejected materials.

Several schools cancelled activities on ⁠Saturday after students and residents suffered eye irritations from the ash, while fishermen cancelled fishing trips, local media outlet Kompas reported.

Some 850 km (530 miles) away from Anak Krakatau, Mount Semeru in East Java also erupted on Sunday, sending an ash column 1 km (3,300 feet) above the summit, said volcano monitoring agency PVMBG. It advised residents to stay at least 5 km (3 miles) away from the crater and warned of ⁠the risk of hot ash clouds and lava flows up to 17 km (10 miles) from the summit.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent. Anak Krakatau has been on alert level 3, the second-highest, since July 2. Semeru was also on level 3, as were three other volcanoes: Merapi, Lewotobi Laki-laki and Sinabung.

The disaster mitigation ⁠agency said there was no imminent risk of tsunami from the volcano. A tsunami in 2018 caused by Anak Krakatau eruptions killed more than 400 on Java and Sumatra.

Anak Krakatau, which means child of Krakatau, emerged a century ago from the area once occupied by Krakatau, then known as Krakatoa. The older volcano destroyed itself in mass eruptions in 1883, which killed more than 36,000 people in a series of tsunamis.

Source: Reuters



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