Indonesia raised the alert level for the erupting Anak Krakatau volcano to the second-highest today (December 27), and ordered all flights to avoid the area, just days after it triggered a tsunami that killed at least 430 people.

A crater collapse on the volcanic island at high tide on Saturday (December 22) sent waves up to 16 feet (5 metres) high smashing into the coast on the Sunda Strait, between the islands of Java and Sumatra.

Authorities have warned that the crater of Anak Krakatau, or child of Krakatau, remains fragile, raising fears of another collapse and tsunami, and have urged residents to stay away from the coast.

The volcano has been rumbling on and off since July but has been particularly active since Sunday, spewing lava and rocks, and sending huge clouds of ash up to 3,000 metres into heavily overcast skies.

The national geological agency, in raising the alert level to the second-highest, set a 5km exclusion zone around the island.

Antonius Ratdomopurbo, secretary of the geological agency, said: ‘Since December 23, activity has not stopped, We anticipate a further escalation.’

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