Indonesia widened the danger zone and raised the threat level on Thursday as an island volcano continued to seethe after triggering a tsunami that killed more than 430 people.Officials issued a level three tsunami alert — the second highest on its four-level system — and rerouted flights as emergency crews still searched for victims from last weekend's unexpected wave.Anak Krakatau's eruption on Saturday evening caused part of the island in the Sunda Strait to collapse into the sea, apparently generating tsunami waves of more than 6 1/2 feet.
The country's disaster mitigation center doubled the at-risk area to a 3,200-foot stretch area of the coast on Thursday and warned people to stay away from the water's edge because of the risk of another tsunami triggered by Krakatau's ongoing eruptions.Aircraft were forced to take alternate routes to avoid the increasing volcanic ash mushrooming up from Anak Krakatau, said Yohanes Sirait, spokesman for AirNav Indonesia. Most scheduled flights through the capital of Jakarta have not been affected.Although ash billowed more than 6 miles into the skies, airports integral to the distribution of aid and resources to areas affected by the tsunami were not forced to close.
The country's disaster mitigation center doubled the at-risk area to a 3,200-foot stretch area of the coast on Thursday and warned people to stay away from the water's edge because of the risk of another tsunami triggered by Krakatau's ongoing eruptions.Aircraft were forced to take alternate routes to avoid the increasing volcanic ash mushrooming up from Anak Krakatau, said Yohanes Sirait, spokesman for AirNav Indonesia. Most scheduled flights through the capital of Jakarta have not been affected.Although ash billowed more than 6 miles into the skies, airports integral to the distribution of aid and resources to areas affected by the tsunami were not forced to close.
The volcano has been spewing ash and lava for months.There is no warning system in place for volcano-triggered tsunamis. Existing systems are based on monitoring earthquakes, which officials have said account for 90 percent of tsunamis in the region.Dozens remain missing from Saturday's disaster and thousands have been displaced. A state of emergency remains in effect until Jan. 4 to help distribute aid.