Indonesia raises alert level for Anak Krakatoa volcano

The decision was made a day after the volcano erupted again, causing a column of ash up to 3,000 meters high.

Earlier, Indonesian authorities also issued the third highest warning level for Anak Krakatoa volcanorelated to strong geological activity in the area last month.

Speaking at an online press conference, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanic and Geological Risk Mitigation Director Hendra Gunawan advised “people must stay away from an area with a radius of 5km from the active crater of the volcano.” move”. Hendra Gunawan also said that experts have recorded a significant increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in this area. Specifically, the Anak Krakatoa volcano “spewed” out 68 tons of CO2 on April 15, but just over a week later, on April 23, this number had reached more than 9,000 tons.

A layer of ash from the Anak Krakatoa volcano has covered the strait that separates Java and Sumatra. Local authorities have issued warnings, recommending that people in the surrounding area wear masks when leaving their homes. Even so, authorities said people living on nearby islands were not evacuated and the busy sea route from Java’s Merak port to Sumatra’s Bakauheni port was not affected.

The Anak Krakatoa volcano – an offshoot of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia – has erupted at least 21 times in recent weeks, but the April 24 eruption was the most powerful. The volcano has erupted occasionally since its appearance late last century in a caldera formed after the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. The 1883 eruption was one of the most damaging. Historically, about 35,000 people have died. The last time Anak Krakatoa erupted was in 2018, followed by a tsunami that killed 429 people and left thousands homeless.

Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where there is dense geological activity, so it regularly sees earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.

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