Indonesia extends closure of four airports as volcano erupts again

Jakarta: Indonesia extended flight suspensions at four airports until 6 pm local time on Monday after Mount Anak Krakatau erupted again overnight, sending volcanic ash toward Jakarta, authorities said.

Airport operator Angkasa Pura Indonesia said flights remained suspended at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta and Halim Perdanakusuma airports, as well as Radin Inten II in Lampung and Husein Sastranegara in Bandung, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said satellite imagery showed two clusters of volcanic ash still drifting toward Jakarta as of 6:00 a.m. Monday.

The renewed eruption came after ash from Anak Krakatau disrupted more than 1,500 flights and affected around 170,000 passengers over the weekend.

Mount Anak Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, has erupted repeatedly in recent years. Its partial collapse in 2018 triggered a tsunami that killed more than 400 people.

Last month, Mount Semeru, located in Indonesia's East Java province, erupted, sending an ash column approximately 2,000 metres above the summit, according to the Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).

The eruption produced a white to grey ash plume drifting southeast and a pyroclastic flow along a river with a run of about 2 kilometres, the PVMBG reported.

Authorities warned residents to avoid activity within 5 km of the crater and within 13 km along the southeastern river valley.

In May, three people were killed after Mount Dukono erupted in Indonesia's North Maluku province.

Mount Dukono erupted at around 7:40 a.m. local time on May 8, sending a column of volcanic ash up to about 10 km into the sky.

Local rescue authorities warned residents not to carry out activities within a 4-km radius of the crater and cautioned that volcanic mudflows could occur during rainfall.

Mount Dukono also erupted on May 17, spewing grey ash up to 5,000 meters above its peak.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and is home to more than 120 active volcanoes, making it one of the world's most volcanically active countries.

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