JAKARTA - Mount Anak Krakatau erupted again early Wednesday as volcanic activity continued in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait following recent eruptions that disrupted air travel across parts of western Indonesia.
Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) said the eruption occurred at 12.47am local time and lasted 28 seconds, with a maximum seismic amplitude of 51 millimetres, while the height of the eruption column could not be observed.
Meanwhile, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said an analysis of Himawari-9 satellite imagery at 7 am on Wednesday showed volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau reaching an altitude of up to 7,000 feet (about 2,134 metres) and moving northwest, covering part of Lampung Bay.
"The public, particularly those around southern Lampung, are advised to remain vigilant, not to panic and to follow official information from BMKG, PVMBG, the Geological Agency and the local authorities,” it said in its latest post on social media.
Wednesday’s eruption followed three eruptions recorded on Tuesday, after a continuous eruptive phase lasting about 25 hours from 11.07 pm on Friday subsided shortly after midnight on Sunday.
Anak Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra, remains at Level III, the second-highest level in Indonesia's four-tier volcano alert system, with authorities warning that the potential for further eruptions remains high.
Separately, PVMBG reported on its website that three other Indonesian volcanoes also erupted on Wednesday, with Mount Semeru in East Java erupting at 12.15 am and again at 5.11 am, although the height of the eruption columns could not be observed.
Mount Ili Lewotolok in East Nusa Tenggara erupted three times at 5.03 am, 5.56 am and 9.51 am, producing ash columns of between 400 and 600 metres above the summit that drifted northwest and west.
Meanwhile, Mount Ibu in North Maluku erupted at 5.27 am and 9.19 am, with ash columns reaching 400 metres and 600 metres above the summit, respectively, and moving northeast and east. - BERNAMA