Jakarta, (Samajweekly) Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia’s Lampung province has erupted four times as of Tuesday afternoon, spewing ash columns up to the height of 2,500 meters above the crater, Indonesian authorities said.
The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) reported on Tuesday that the volcano in the Sunda Strait located between Java and Sumatra islands erupted at 04:12 a.m., 05:38 a.m., 07:43 a.m., and 12:21 p.m., respectively. The longest eruption on the day lasted for two minutes and 26 seconds, Xinhua news agency reoported.
PVMBG Head of Anak Krakatau Monitoring Post in Lampung Selatan regency Andi Suardi said that the volcanic activity of Anak Krakatau had significantly increased in the last few days. On Monday, the volcano erupted once at 10:50 p.m. and was covered in fog.
“The activity of the volcano is still unstable. We still can observe smoke coming from the crater. The status of Anak Krakatau now is still in level 3 alert. People are not allowed to do activities within a five-km radius from the crater,” Suardi said in a written statement.
Anak Krakatau, which means Child of Krakatau, has been sporadically active since it emerged from the sea at the beginning of last century.
The volcano is located far from the densely populated Java Island and Sumatra Island. However, it is near the busy shipping line connecting the islands.
