Volcano eruption leaves 150,000 passengers stranded in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Sept 6: More than 150,000 passengers have been left stranded after a volcanic eruption forced Indonesian authorities to temporarily suspend operations at eight airports.

Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was the first to be closed on Sunday morning after ash from Anak Krakatau was detected in airspace near the airport.

Transport minister DudyPurwagandhi said so far 712 flights have been affected and asked airlines to consider diverting some flights to other airports.

The volcano had started erupting late on Friday night, generating continuous seismic activity, lava fountains, and booming sounds across surrounding regions.

Two more eruptions happened early on Sunday, authorities said.

The transport ministry said the pause in operations mainly affected flights to and from Singapore, also other international routes including Doha, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur.�"BBC