Anak Krakatau erupts in Indonesia, 8 people missing

Anak Krakatau erupts in Indonesia

In 1883, Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia erupted so powerfully that it destroyed the majority of its island, triggering 120-foot tsunami waves and producing the loudest sound in recorded history. In 1927, Anak Krakatau – or Child of Krakatoa, emerged from the old caldera. Anak Krakatau erupts fairly regularly. And on September 4, 2026, it roared back to activity, belching gas and ash into the atmosphere. The eruption snarled air traffic in the area. And, while the island itself is no longer inhabited, a boat of eight people, five of them journalists, were headed toward Anak Krakatau to cover the story. After reaching the vicinity of the island, the boat went missing.

In the photo above, the Landsat 8 satellite captured the erupting volcano on September 5. By the next day, the smoke plume had reached 20,000 feet (6,000 m) high to the east and 50,000 feet (15,000 m) to the west.

In a video from September 5, another boat – a fishing boat – captured scenes of the eruption as debris pelted the water all around them.

Mount Anak Krakatau in Indonesia is on its second straight day of a major eruption. Volcanic ash has caused the suspension of flights out of Jakarta's main airport.

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2026-09-07T02:30:17.629752787Z

Are there dangers with Anak Krakatau?

For now, the eruptive period has ended and air travel has resumed. Anak Krakatau regularly erupts, usually in a more mild manner, but these larger outbursts are also not unusual. In 2018, Anak Krakatau erupted and caused part of its island to collapse. That collapse triggered a tsunami that killed 437 in Java and Sumatra.

What can we expect next? Erik Klemetti of Denison University wrote on his Eruptions blog:

What to expect: Likely smaller explosions than the eruption that occurred on September 6 but continued blasts will almost certainly happen. The PVMBG [Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation] will be watching to see what the seismic activity at the volcano looks like to suggest whether more magma is rising up into the upper parts of the volcanic system. The seismic data for the past few months shows the sharp increase in earthquakes and tremor starting in late August before these new eruptions began.

And while PVMBG did report six volcanoes erupting simultaneously in Indonesia on August 31, this is not unusual behavior for a country on the Ring of Fire.

Bottom line: Anak Krakatau erupted in early September, sending a long plume of gas and ash into the atmosphere. Eight people, including 5 journalists who headed toward the eruption by boat, are now missing.

Via NASA

Via Eruptions