Mount Anak Krakatau erupts twice on Saturday afternoon

South Lampung (ANTARA) - Mount Anak Krakatau (GAK), located in the waters of the Sunda Strait in South Lampung Regency, Lampung Province, erupted twice on Saturday afternoon, according to information released by the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).

The head of the Mount Anak Krakatau monitoring post in Hargopancuran, Rajabasa Subdistrict, Suwarno, confirmed on Saturday that PVMBG recorded two eruptions with varying ash column heights.

“That’s correct, today, Saturday, there have been two eruptions, the first at 16.52 Western Indonesia Time and the second at 18.00 Western Indonesia Time, with an ash column about 300 metres above the peak, or roughly 457 metres above sea level. The ash column was grey to black in colour with thick intensity, drifting towards the northwest,” he said.

He explained that the volcano’s activity remains fluctuating, meaning further eruptions could still occur. Therefore, communities around the Sunda Strait are asked to remain calm but to heighten their vigilance and follow official information issued by the Geological Agency through PVMBG.

Members of the public, tourists and fishermen are therefore urged not to carry out activities within the radius recommended by the volcanology authorities in order to avoid the risks posed by eruptions and the ejection of volcanic material.

“Mount Anak Krakatau is still at Level II, or Alert status. Fishermen and tourists are asked not to come within a two-kilometre radius of the Mount Anak Krakatau crater,” he said.

In addition, fishermen operating in the waters around the Sunda Strait are also asked to continue monitoring official information regarding the volcano’s activity and weather conditions before setting out to sea.