Volcanic Ash From Anak Krakatau Stops 170,000 Passengers

Anak Krakatau, a volcano in Indonesia, sent a huge cloud of ash across the region on Sunday. Because of the ash, eight airports had to close. Around 170,000 passengers could not travel, and more than 1,500 flights were delayed or cancelled.

The main airport in Jakarta, Soekarno-Hatta, closed at 1:30 in the morning because ash was in the air near the airport. It stayed closed until midnight. More than 900 flights to and from Jakarta were affected. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi asked airlines to give passengers their money back quickly and tell them what was happening.

The ash reached 15,000 metres high on the Sumatra side and 6,000 metres on the Java side. Falling ash hurt people's eyes, so officials asked people to wear masks and eye protection and to stay inside when possible. Schools in Jakarta and Lampung moved classes online from Monday.

Anak Krakatau means Child of Krakatau. The volcano is dangerous. In 2018, part of it fell into the sea and caused a huge sea wave called a tsunami that killed more than 400 people. Officials said there was no sign of a tsunami now, but ships must stay at least three kilometres away from the volcano. Indonesia has many volcanoes because it sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area where many volcanoes and earthquakes happen.