Some 270,000 passengers have been left stranded across Indonesia after a volcanic eruption grounded more than 2,000 flights and forced airports to suspend operations for a second day. Anak Krakatau, located 150km (90mi) from Jakarta, began erupting late on Friday, producing lava fountains and sending volcanic ash into the capital and the Lampung province. It stayed seismically active throughout the weekend.
Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International and three other airports have extended closures till 18:00 local time on Monday after volcanic ash was detected in airspaces near them. Schools in the region moved classes online while some shipping operations were also disrupted. Snaking queues formed at the departure halls in Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Monday as stranded passengers sought refunds and tried to get updates on when they would be able to fly. Finna, who was supposed to fly home to Jakarta from Malang, a city in East Java, on Sunday morning, described the frezny at the airport as flights got repeatedly rescheduled.
“It was very crowded because passengers from the morning flights had piled up, while those scheduled for later departures still didn’t know what would happen,” the 46-year-old told BBC Indonesian. “We were all glued to the flight information screens.” Not wanting to deal with the uncertainty, Finna eventually spent the night on two intercity trains before arriving in Jakarta at 03:00 on Monday. “Everyone seems to be racking their brains [figuring alternative transportation options]”, said Jo Shaw, who was visiting Indonesia with members of her conservation charity Save the Rhino International.
Shaw’s team had axed their plans to camp out at Java’s Ujung Kulon National Park after authorities raised its alert level for the Anak Krakatau volcano. “Being stranded in an airport hotel is a relatively minor inconvenience to be resolved in a few days hopefully,” Shaw said, adding that she was more concerned about the teams working on the ground with the rhinos under such environmental conditions. A newly wed Malaysian couple who had just spent a week in Bali said they were told that the next flight back to Kuala Lumpur wouldn’t be until 11 September. “What are we going to do here for another five days?
We only prepared enough money for our honeymoon and [were supposed] to go home yesterday,” Amir Hamzah told Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama. “We thought we would just sleep at the airport for a few hours and then take the morning flight home [on Monday]. We never thought we would end up being stuck here for days,” the 29-year-old said. On Monday, Indonesia’s Geological Agency warned that “the probability of further eruptions in the coming periods remains high”. Volcanic ash reached as high as 6,000m on the Java side of the volcano and 15,000m on the Sumatra side and in some parts of Java’s westernmost province Banten, the meteorological agency BMKG said.
Anak Krakatau sits on the Sunda Strait about midway between the islands of Java and Sumatra. The most recent eruption occurred at 20:23 on Sunday, according to the agency. “We cannot ascertain when this will end due to the dynamic weather,” Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said in relation to the temporary closures of the affected airports. Dudy said on Sunday that authorities across the airports have been conducting tests every 30 minutes “to anticipate whether the ash spread is widening or subsiding”. more…
The steeple of a Toledo church collapsed after a massive structure on Martha Avenue early Saturday morning, according to fire officials at the scene. Fire crews were called…
Hurricane Lowell accelerated toward Kauai on Monday evening, weakening slightly to a Category 2 storm while still expected to make its closest approach Monday night into Tuesday bringing…
A Houston-area man is headed to federal prison for shooting and killing a bald eagle. A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas, said…
Even when you feel invisible in your struggle, God sees every tear, every burden, and every silent prayer. Your exhaustion has not escaped His attention. “The Lord is…
The intense storm that brought significant rainfall that flooded parts of Pittsburgh on Thursday night was a “1 in 100 year event,” authorities said. In a news release on Friday,…
Some 270,000 passengers have been left stranded across Indonesia after a volcanic eruption grounded more than 2,000 flights and forced airports to suspend operations for a second day.…
The Raven Ridge Wildlife Center rescued an injured bald eagle with green tail feathers. According to the Raven Ridge Wildlife Center, they received a call from their eagle…
At least five people were killed and five others were injured when an Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport and struck several vehicles Sunday, officials said.…
Your attention is one of the most valuable things you own, and everyone wants a piece of it. The question isn’t whether something is getting your attention—the question…
Division within the church is one of the enemy’s greatest tools because it weakens unity, damages witness, and distracts believers from the mission of Christ. I personally believe…
In Bethel Park, Thursday night’s storm wreaked havoc across the city, knocking out power to schools and homes, but it also took down trees, leaving one family stuck and…
Federal criminal charges have been filed against a Washington state man whom authorities allege fatally shot a bald eagle in the head on his rural property, authorities said.…
A passenger on a flight to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey was so disruptive, he had to be duct-taped to his seat. Witnesses who were on…
Could this trial be the next tidepod challenge that comes from what has turned into social media psychosis. We are now seeing another case of a mother doing…
The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-0 tornado touched down in Lincoln Park, Michigan, late Thursday afternoon, as part of a blast of severe weather that…
A mother allegedly murdered her 2-year-old son just hours after discussing the Lindsay Clancy murder trial with her friends, which she had become “very invested” in. NBC Chicago…
Cat owners know their feline friends often hide in small, cramped, and unusual spots — but one kitten’s hiding place recently required a fire crew to take part…
Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel Friday as emergency teams continued an operation to reach others believed to be trapped inside, officials said.…
Florida’s State University System Board of Governors voted Thursday unanimously to ban undocumented students from attending the state’s 12 public universities. According to the approved rule, any person…
Millions of monarch butterflies will travel through the state as they make their journey toward central Mexico. The butterflies are headed to warmer weather as the days get…
Bears are not an uncommon sight in Western North Carolina, but a burglar bear is a little less common. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has stated that…
A coyote with an extremely swollen face, seen roaming a San Fernando Valley neighborhood, is now receiving treatment at a wildlife rescue. When Barbara Perrin’s son recently spotted…
Salt Lake City — Autumn brings a lot of beautiful colors to Utah’s landscape, and driving to see the leaves change color is a popular activity for many locals.…
An invasive species has begun to cover trees in the MetroWest area of Massachusetts. It’s called the spotted lanternfly, and its presence could spell doom for some vegetation…
The number of active registered voters during August has decreased compared to July. The Secretary of State’s office released an update reporting a decline of 50,130 active registered…
When everything around you competes for your attention, remember who deserves the center of your life: Jesus. He is before all things, holds all things together, and is…
The rabies vaccine is to be placed in a bait mixture throughout Harford County to attract wild animals in an effort to immunize them against the illness. The…
You must be logged in to post a comment.