Indonesia's Krakatoa volcano erupts, Jakarta and other 4 airports extended closure

(Central News Agency, Jakarta, comprehensive foreign news report on the 7th) The eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia forced the closure of the main airport in Jakarta and three other airports until 6 pm, and it is estimated that tens of thousands of passengers were stranded.

Agence France-Presse reported that the Indonesian authorities issued a statement saying that the Anak Krakatau volcano, about 150 kilometers away from the Indonesian capital Jakarta, erupted for about 25 hours starting late at night on the 4th, forming lava fountains and making a huge sound that could be heard hundreds of kilometers away.

The volcano monitoring agency warned that two new eruptions were recorded on the 6th.

The Ministry of Transportation said that eight airports ceased operations last weekend due to the detection of volcanic ash entering the airspace, hundreds of flights were affected, and more than 170,000 passengers were stranded.

The Indonesian Airport Management Company (Angkasa Pura) posted on social media that at least four airports, including Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, were originally scheduled to resume operations this morning, but the closure time has now been extended to 6 pm (7 pm Taiwan time).

The company said, "In view of the intensified eruption activity of Krakatau's Sons volcano, several airports have suspended flight departures and landings; passengers are advised to check flight status with their airlines regularly."

The company also said the closure of Jakarta's smaller Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, used by both civilian and military aircraft, would also be extended.

Indonesia's geological agency said the likelihood of a continued eruption remained high as of this morning.

"The threat of an eruption comes from the eruption of high-temperature rocks accompanied by large amounts of volcanic ash. If the volcano erupts again and continues to be active, another potential danger is lava flows."

The Son of Krakatoa volcano is located in the Sunda Strait that separates Java Island and Sumatra Island. The volcano emerged from the seafloor in the 1920s from a crater formed after the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatau, and has had intermittent activity ever since.