An eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau caused six airports to suspend flight operations on Sunday, affecting hundreds of flights at Jakarta’s main airport, after some school activities and fishing were halted.
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activities → cause → airport
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport suspended flight operations until 1:30pm (11:30am PKT) due to volcanic ash, the airport posted on Instagram, stranding hundreds of passengers at the facility.
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airport → suspend → facility
The suspension has affected 301 flights, including 58 international flights, airport operator Angkasa Pura said in a statement.
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Pura → affect → statement
Singapore Airlines said it had cancelled flights to and from Jakarta for the rest of the day.
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it → say → day
Anak Krakatau, which is roughly halfway between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia’s vast island chain, has been erupting since late on Friday, with volcanic ash detected at the airport early on Sunday, the transport ministry said.
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ministry → erupt → Sunday
Passengers stuck at Soekarno-Hatta International
Ash reached as high as 6,000 metres on the Java side of the volcano and 15,000 metres on the Sumatra side, and in some parts of Banten province in Java, the meteorological agency BMKG posted on its website.
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agency → stick → website
After one domestic flight was cancelled, Suhardi, 58, made his way to Soekarno-Hatta, hoping to catch a connecting flight in the morning for a business trip to Samarinda on the Indonesian part of Borneo island.
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Suhardi → cancel → island
“I thought Jakarta-to-Samarinda still available — apparently it is also cancelled,” Suhardi, who goes by one name, told Reuters.
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who → think → Reuters
French national Eloan Tasset, 21, got a text from Batik Air that his flight to his holiday destination of Manado in North Sulawesi had been delayed, but he said it was unclear how long the delay would be.
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delay → get → Sulawesi
“If they tell me my flight is cancelled, I think I’m going to try to find a hotel in Jakarta,” he said.
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he → tell → Jakarta
The airport operator said it was providing food and light refreshments for affected passengers and buses to hotels, in coordination with the airlines.
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it → say → airlines
The disaster mitigation agency BNPB said it would conduct a weather modification operation, which could include cloud-seeding, on Sunday to promote rain.
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which → say → rain
“If it rains heavily enough, the volcanic ash that has been disrupting our daily lives since yesterday and continuing today will be washed away quickly,” BNPB chief Suharyanto told a press conference.
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Suharyanto → rain → conference
BNPB “urges the public to remain calm while increasing vigilance.
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BNPB → urge → vigilance
In the event of ashfall, people are advised to wear masks and eye protection, reduce outdoor activities, cover water sources and exercise caution when driving, as volcanic ash can reduce visibility,” said spokesperson Berton Panjaitan.
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Panjaitan → advise → visibility
Ferries in Sunda Strait were operating normally, the transport ministry said, urging vessels to stay at least 3km away from Anak Krakatau’s crater and remain vigilant for volcanic hazards, including volcanic ash and other ejected materials.
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ministry → operate → ash
Several schools cancelled activities on Saturday after students and residents suffered eye irritation from the ash, while fishermen cancelled fishing trips, local media outlet Kompas reported.
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fishermen → cancel → Kompas
Some 850km away from Anak Krakatau, Mount Semeru in East Java also erupted on Sunday, sending an ash column 1km above the summit, said volcano monitoring agency PVMBG.
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PVMBG → erupt → summit
It advised residents to stay at least 5km away from the crater and warned of the risk of hot ash clouds and lava flows up to 17km from the summit.
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It → advise → summit
Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent.
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earthquakes → sit → Fire
The disaster mitigation agency said there was no imminent risk of tsunami from the volcano.
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agency → say → volcano
A tsunami in 2018 caused by Anak Krakatau eruptions killed more than 400 on Java and Sumatra.
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tsunami → cause → Java
Anak Krakatau, which means child of Krakatau, emerged a century ago from the area once occupied by Krakatau, then known as Krakatoa.
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which → mean → Krakatoa
The older volcano destroyed itself in mass eruptions in 1883, which killed more than 36,000 people in a series of tsunamis.
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which → destroy → tsunamis
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