Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau continues to erupt

Authorities said the eruption began at 11.07 pm local time on Friday. (EPA Images pic)JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano, located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, continued to erupt on Saturday morning, with booming and rumbling sounds heard from an observation post as authorities reported lava-fountaining activity.National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Disaster Data, Information and Communication Centre Acting Head Berton Panjaitan said the eruption began at 11.07 pm local time on Friday and continued throughout the observation period from midnight to 6am on Saturday.He said the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) had assessed that the volcano’s regrown edifice remained relatively small and was not considered capable of collapsing on a scale that could trigger a tsunami, amid concerns among residents along the coastal areas.“The government is addressing concerns among the public, particularly along the coasts of Banten and Lampung over a potential tsunami linked to Anak Krakatau given their experience of the Dec 22, 2018 tsunami,” he said in a statement on Saturday.Anak Krakatau, administratively located in South Lampung regency, Lampung province, remains at Level III, or Siaga (Alert), with authorities maintaining a 3km exclusion zone around its active crater.Between midnight and 6am on Saturday, PVMBG recorded one eruption earthquake with an amplitude of 70mm and a duration of 21,600 seconds, while a field surveillance camera was knocked out after being struck by ejected volcanic material.“The public is asked not to approach the volcanic area to observe the eruption or take photographs or videos, considering that there is still the potential for material to be ejected from the active crater,” he said.Meanwhile, about 650 people from 208 families have been registered as evacuees following increased activity at Mount Sinabung in Karo regency, North Sumatra, after its Aug 31 eruption prompted authorities to raise the volcano’s status from Level II (Waspada) to Level III (Siaga).Berton said about 405 people remained at the Jambur Arih Ersada evacuation centre in Sukatepu village as of Friday, while the extent of damage to agricultural land from volcanic ash was still being assessed.He noted that thick white crater smoke was observed rising about 300 to 500 metres above Sinabung’s summit between noon and 6p…