From the same waters that swallowed thousands in 1883 and again in 2018, Mount Anak Krakatau has once more reminded the region that geography is destiny. Late Friday, the volcano sent ash columns rising 15,000 metres into the sky, and by Sunday morning that ash had drifted 180 kilometres to settle over Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, suspending 209 flights and grounding daily life across Banten province. Authorities moved swiftly to rule out a tsunami, but history has a long memory here, and the line between reassurance and vigilance is one Indonesia has learned, at great cost,
Jakarta airport extends flight suspension as Anak Krakatau ash disrupts regional travel
Schools cancelled activities and residents suffered eye irritation from volcanic ash; a 2018 eruption of the same volcano killed hundreds via tsunami.