Anak Krakatoa eruption strands 150,000 passengers

More than 150,000 passengers were stranded in Indonesia on Sunday after authorities suspended operations at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and seven other airports following eruptions at Mount Anak Krakatoa.

Ash from the volcano was detected in airspace around Soekarno-Hatta, Indonesia's main international airport. The local airport authority said the suspension, first set from 1:30 am to 5:30 am on Sunday, had been extended several times and was latest due to end at 9:30 pm.

The transportation ministry said 467 flights were affected, including 58 international flights and 409 domestic flights. It said operations were also suspended at airports including Husein Sastranegara in Bandung and Radin Inten II near Bandar Lampung on Sumatra.

Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said several airports, including in Semarang and Surabaya, had been prepared as alternative landing sites.

Indonesia's geology agency said Mount Anak Krakatoa erupted on Saturday, sending up ash and lava and producing booming sounds heard far away. The volcanology agency warned that two new eruptions were recorded on Sunday.

Ash also reached Bandar Lampung, where it covered parked cars and roadsides. Jakarta authorities said schools in the capital would close on Monday and classes would move online, without saying how long the measure would last.

Anak Krakatoa sits in the strait between Java and Sumatra. Local port authorities told ships to be more vigilant and barred vessels from entering a three-kilometre exclusion zone around the volcano.

Geology agency head Lana Saria said the timing, size and nature of the next eruption could not be precisely predicted. She said the latest eruptions did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami at this time.