Indonesia heightens alert levels on volcano

INDONESIAN AUTHORITIES have widened the exclusion zone around a volcano that triggered a devastating tsunami in Sumatra and Java.

The volcanology agency raised the Anak Krakatoa volcano’s alert status to the second highest and more than doubled the exclusion zone to a three-mile radius.

The eruption on Saturday evening caused part of the island in the Sunda Strait to collapse into the sea, generating tsunami waves of more than two metres which left at least 430 people dead.

The government has warned Sunda Strait communities to stay a kilometre away from the coastline because of the risk of another tsunami.

The disaster struck without warning, taking people by surprise in a country that regularly suffers landslides, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

No earthquake shook the ground beforehand, and the waves surged inland at night on a holiday weekend while people were enjoying concerts and other beach and resort activities.

Heavy rains and high seas have hampered the search effort. Some bodies were found at sea and at least 159 people are missing.

Radar data from satellites, converted into images, shows the Anak Krakatoa volcano is dramatically smaller following Saturday’s eruption.

Satellite photos are not available because of cloud cover but radar images from a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency satellite taken before and after the eruption show the volcano’s south-western flank has disappeared.