Indonesia raises volcano alert, reroutes all flights around erupting Anak Krakatau

An ash column from the erupting Anak Krakatau volcano has forced Indonesia’s aviation chiefs to reroute all flights between Java and Sumatra islands, just days after a deadly tsunami triggered by the volcano killed more than 400.

“All flights are rerouted due to Krakatau volcano ash on red alert,” the government air-traffic control agency AirNav said in a release. After raising the volcano's alert level on Thursday, authorities went on to impose a five-kilometer exclusion zone.

Authorities continue to urge people to stay clear of the coast, already devastated after an underwater landslide caused by the eruption of Anak Krakatau triggered a deadly tsunami that killed at least 430 people last Saturday night.

The disaster also left nearly 1,500 people along the coastal community injured, with over 100 locals still missing. Amid fears that ongoing volcanic activity could trigger another tsunami, more than 21,000 have been evacuated to higher ground.

The massive death toll from the tragedy has been partially blamed on the tsunami warning system which failed to predict the deadly waves that devastated coastal towns around the Sunda Strait, between the islands of Sumatra and Java.

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