Indonesia raises alert level for offspring volcano

Indonesia raised the alert status for the offspring of the infamous Krakatoa volcano to its second highest level on Monday, a day after it erupted and spewed a towering ash cloud 3,000 metres into the sky. Authorities bumped the threat of Anak Krakatoa, which means Child of Krakatoa, to level three of a four-tier volcanic alert system after witnessing a sharp rise in activity in the last month with the biggest eruption coming on Sunday. They also widened the exclusion zone around the crater a day after warning nearby residents to wear masks outside because of the large plume of ash it belched over the strait that separates the islands of Java and Sumatra. – AFP