Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia erupts 4 times in one day

Jakarta: Anak Krakatau, a volcano in the Lampung province of Indonesia, has erupted four times as of Tuesday afternoon, sending ash columns 2,500 metres above the crater, according to Indonesian officials.

The Sunda Strait volcano, which is situated between Java and Sumatra islands, exploded four times on Tuesday, at 04:12 a.m., 05:38 a.m., 07:43 a.m., and 12:21 p.m., according to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG). The day's longest eruption ran for two minutes and 26 seconds, according to the Xinhua news agency.

PVMBG Head of Anak Krakatau Monitoring Post in Lampung Selatan regency Andi Suardi said that the volcanic activity of Anak Krakatau had significantly increased in the last few days. On Monday, the volcano erupted once at 10:50 p.m. and was covered in fog.

"The activity of the volcano is still unstable. We still can observe smoke coming from the crater. The status of Anak Krakatau now is still in level 3 alert. People are not allowed to do activities within a five-km radius from the crater," Suardi said in a written statement.

Anak Krakatau, which means Child of Krakatau, has been sporadically active since it emerged from the sea at the beginning of the last century.

The volcano is located far from the densely populated Java Island and Sumatra Island. However, it is near the busy shipping line connecting the islands.

With inputs from IANS