Indonesia's Anak Krakatau eruption halts flights, schools, fishing

An eruption of Indonesia's Mount Anak Krakatau caused the suspension of hundreds of flights at Jakarta's main airport on Sunday after some school activities and fishing were halted.



Soekarno-Hatta International Airport posted on Instagram that it had suspended flight operations until 9:30 a.m. due to volcanic ash.



The suspension, extending a halt that had been scheduled until 5:30 a.m., has affected 209 flights, including several international flights, Indonesia's transportation ministry said.



Anak Krakatau has erupted since late on Friday, with volcanic ash detected at the airport early on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.



Ash was identified as high as 20,000 feet on the Java side of the volcano and a plume of up to 50,000 feet on the Sumatra side and some parts of Banten province in Java, the meteorological agency BMKG posted on its website.



Anak Krakatau is roughly halfway between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia's vast island chain, which sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent.