Thursday, December 27, 2018

Indonesia Raises Anak Krakatau Volcano Threat Level To High Alert, Flights Rerouted



Indonesia authorities raise Anak Krakatau volcano threat level 




Authorities in Indonesia have raised the danger level for the volcano that triggered a tsunami on Saturday, killing hundreds of people, and extended the no-go zone to three miles.
Flights around the Anak Krakakau volcano were rerouted and the crater’s status was raised to high alert, the second-highest level.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the national disaster agency, said: “There is a danger of more eruptions. People [near the volcano] could be hit by hot rocks, pyroclastic flows and thick ash.”People are being moved away from Sumur on the island of Java, which was badly affected by the tsunami and was one of the last areas to be accessed by rescue teams.
Aulia Arriani with the Indonesian Red Cross said: “The restless mountain is making life unpleasant. I met a woman today who said having the volcanic ash around was like having chilli rubbed in her eyes.”
People have been told to stay at least 1km (0.6 miles) from the coast in areas affected by the tsunami, which killed at least 430 people and displaced more than 20,000.
Rudy Sunendar, the head of the Indonesian energy ministry’s geology department, said: “There’s still a chance of a landslide, even under the sea level or on the sea level.
“We don’t know exactly because we [have] not yet gone to the field. Based on the satellite imagery interpretation, there is collapse of some areas of Mount Anak Krakatau.”
Huge waves hit the west coast of Java island and the south coast of Sumatra on Saturday, created by land shifting under water on the volcano. On Thursday, Sutopo urged those in the area to “remain calm and increase awareness” by taking heed of official information sources.

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