Gunung Anak Krakatau erupted early Friday, sending a maximum seismic amplitude of 50 millimeters over 19 seconds while remaining at Alert Level III. Authorities maintained a five-kilometer exclusion zone around the Sunda Strait volcano and dismissed unverified social media claims regarding potential tsunami risks in Banten and Lampung.
The volcanic activity at Gunung Anak Krakatau prompted immediate safety warnings after an eruption occurred at 01.40 WIB on Friday, 30 October 2026. According to data from Magma Indonesia and the Geological Agency, seismographs recorded the brief but sharp burst while the volcano maintained its Status III, or Siaga, designation following weeks of heightened monitoring in the Sunda Strait.
/data/photo/2026/10/30/6ae3e64f9f31e.jpg "Photo: Kompas")
Weather Prevents Direct Observation of Krakatau Eruptions
Monitoring officials noted that the physical eruption column could not be directly observed due to weather conditions and cloud cover during the early morning hours. Instead, instruments at the Krakatau observation post captured the underground shifts, marking a continuation of the restless activity that has characterized the archipelago. On Wednesday, 28 October 2026, three separate eruptions occurred within a span of less than an hour during the late evening. Suwarno, head of the Gunung Anak Krakatau observation post, confirmed that seismographs recorded those evening eruptions despite visual confirmation being blocked by darkness and cloud cover, with the first of that series registering at 22.37 WIB with a maximum amplitude of 48 millimeters and a 233-second duration, followed by subsequent blasts at 22.42 WIB and 23.29 WIB.
Deny Mardiono of the Krakatau Volcano Observation Post said that the eruption occurred at 01.40 WIB and was recorded on the seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 50 millimeters and a duration of 19 seconds, while the height of the eruption column was not observed.
The Geological Agency reported that the early morning event followed a series of tremor pulses and hybrid earthquakes earlier in the week. Independent regional monitoring showed that the volcano had recorded multiple tremor episodes and low-frequency events leading up to the Friday activity, keeping local disaster mitigation teams on alert across the adjacent coastlines. During a six-hour monitoring window surrounding the late October events, instruments recorded 35 hybrid earthquakes, alongside low-frequency shocks, shallow volcanic earthquakes, deep volcanic events, and continuous tremors, while BKSDA Bengkulu and Lampung officials noted that the cluster comprises Pulau Anak Krakatau, Pulau Rakata, Pulau Sertung, and Pulau Panjang.
Strict Exclusion Zones Enforced by Authorities
In response to the ongoing eruptions, the government reiterated strict perimeter restrictions around the active crater. The Geological Agency prohibited all entry and recreational activities within a five-kilometer radius of the eruption center, applying the ban to residents, tourists, and climbers alike. Petugas pemantau di pos pengamatan mencatat aktivitas kegempaan gunung api, sementara pemerintah daerah, termasuk di Lampung Selatan, mengimbau masyarakat untuk tetap waspada dan menjauhi kawasan berbahaya.
A secondary, stricter buffer zone applies specifically to the newly formed landmasses in the area. Officials banned unauthorized approaches within a one-kilometer radius of the new island that emerged at the northwest and southeast sectors of Gunung Anak Krakatau. Conservation authorities stressed that the archipelago functions strictly as a natural laboratory and protected conservation area rather than a leisure destination, noting that activities such as sightseeing, climbing, snorkeling, and fishing are strictly prohibited within the sanctuary.
The Lampung Region III Natural Resources Conservation Section stated that this is not a tourist spot; it is a natural laboratory that we must protect.
Official Dismissal of Tsunami Rumors
As ash dispersal reached parts of the Sunda Strait and surrounding coastal waters—with reports from residents like Deny, a fisherman interviewed at the Bom Kalianda Pier, noting volcanic ash exposure near Pulau Sebesi in the Rajabasa district—authorities moved quickly to counter unverified reports spreading online. Regional disaster management agencies urged residents along the coastlines of Banten and Lampung to ignore speculative claims linking the current volcanic phase to the historic 1883 cataclysm or the 2018 tsunami event.
The Geological Agency advised that the public in the coastal areas of Banten and Lampung provinces should remain calm and not believe the issues regarding the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau that will cause a tsunami, and may carry out activities as usual while continually following the directions of the local BPBD.
Local officials in South Lampung reported that community activities have largely resumed normal patterns under continuous monitoring by the Regional Disaster Management Agency. Fishermen and local mariners have been advised to steer clear of the immediate hazard radius while paying close attention to official updates issued through the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation.