Photos of two foreigners standing near the Anak Krakatoa volcano crater — the result of an eruption that triggered a deadly tsunami in the Sunda Strait on December 22 — recently went viral, with local authorities labeling them disrespectful for disregarding the country’s laws.
The photos — now deleted — show the foreigners, identified only by their Twitter handles @rajo_ameh and @AventureVolcans, standing by the southwest section of Anak Krakatoa that collapsed during the December eruption.
“#krakatau #anakkrakatau #tsunami First pictures of new Anak Krakatau after tsunami with @AventureVolcans 17/18 January 2019, first men of the new Anak Krakatau,” @rajo_ameh tweeted on January 19, indicating that the four pictures in the tweet were taken on January 17 and 18. His Twitter account has since been deleted.
Hendra Gunawan, a researcher at the Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), said what the foreigners did was dangerous, especially since Indonesian authorities are still enforcing a no-go zone around Anak Krakatoa since December.
“If they’re visiting the country, they should respect our laws,” Hendra said yesterday, as quoted by Kumparan.
Hendra added that Anak Krakatoa being located in the middle of the sea makes it harder for authorities to enforce constant surveillance of the area and prevent people from entering the no-go zone.
Indonesian authorities have declared a 5-kilometer no-go zone around Anak Krakatoa since late December. The volcano’s danger alert level was raised since an eruption triggered the collapse of a section of Anak Krakatoa’s crater, generating a tsunami that killed more than 400 people. Up to this day, the volcano’s alert level remains at III — the second-highest warning on Indonesia four-point danger scale.
Anak Krakatoa, which translates to “Child of Krakatoa”, used to stand 338 meters high but now only measures 110 meters after having lost more than two-thirds of its height during the eruption.
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