Anak Krakatoa, the volcanic island that emerged from the sea at the beginning of the last century from the crater formed after the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa — one of the deadliest and most destructive in history — erupted on Friday, spewing a column of ash more than three kilometers into the sky. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Anak Krakatoa, also known as Krakatau, sits on the strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra. Its crater partly collapsed in 2018 when a significant eruption sent vast chunks of the volcano sliding into the ocean, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 400 people. It has been sporadically active since then.
The Anak Krakatoa eruption began at 8.46 am local time, with the volcano releasing thick smoke and belching hot ashes into the air. A volcano observatory said that the ash cloud reached an altitude of 3km above the summit.
Indonesia’s meteorological and geophysics agency, PVMBG, warned people to avoid activities in an area of five kilometers around the crater. It said a volcanic activity alert remained at the second highest level.
The volcano has erupted on and off since 1930. But in May, a massive eruption of the volcano ripped away the entire north flank and created a giant bulge. Minor steam explosions and new fissures appeared a few weeks before the big eruption. Eventually, the bulge expanded at a rate of two meters (seven feet) a week.
It was a colossal eruption – one of the largest in modern times. It shook the world, with shockwaves heard as far as Australia and Hawaii. An ear-shattering sound was recorded, and the water in nearby lakes changed color. The ensuing tsunami killed more than 30,000 people and caused widespread devastation and panic in the region.
A massive tsunami was triggered when the sunken crater of Krakatoa’s third cone sank into the sea, creating a vast underwater landslide that sent waves racing across the Sunda Strait and sweeping 165 villages onto the islands of Java and Sumatra. Thousands of bodies and large pieces of pumice washed up on the shores.
The volcano that became famous in the disaster was originally a trio of stratovolcanoes merged into one. Still, the 1883 eruption blew up all three and sent them collapsing into the strait. It is now a smaller, horseshoe-shaped island with an ash plume that can reach more than 20 km (12 miles) into the sky.
It’s a reminder of the dangers of volcanoes and seismic activity in Indonesia, which sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and has more than 127 active volcanoes. Seven thousand yearly earthquakes, most mild, regularly shake the country. It is also prone to disasters such as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, which blasted debris up to a height of more than two kilometers and caused a hydrothermal blast that stripped forests and snapped trees like twigs.
