Move FM Global News

JAKARTA, Indonesia – An Indonesian volcano, called the Anak Krakatau or the child of the legendary Krakatoa erupted on Thursday, spewing ash into the sky.

The small volcanic island, Anak Krakatau, which emerged from the ocean more than half a century back has rumbled back to life in recent weeks.

Following the eruption on Thursday, molten lava streamed down from the summit of the volcano. 

According to Indonesia’s geological agency, the Anak Krakatau volcano has been spitting flaming rocks and ash from its crater for several weeks now.

However, the agency said that it has not raised the alert level for the mountain, even though a one-kilometre no-go zone is being maintained around its summit.

Local officials pointed out that even though no one lives on Krakatau, the peak is a popular tourist spot.

The peak emerged following Krakatoa’s deadly eruption in the year 1883 and has formed a small island in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra.

The 19th century eruption of Krakatoa sent a jet of ash, stones and smoke over 20km into the sky and plunged the region into darkness.

At the time, it had sparked a huge tsunami that was felt around the world and the disaster killed over 36,000 people.

Indonesia is situated on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire,’ which is a series of fragile fault lines that stretches from New Zealand, across the east coast of Asia, over to Canada and the U.S. then down to the southern tip of South America.

This makes the region prone to frequent earthquakes and major volcanic activity.