Indonesia knew a volcano was erupting. Could it have prepared better?

The eruption of Anak Krakatoa in Indonesia has tested the country’s disaster preparedness, disrupting nearly 3,000 flights carrying more than 340,000 passengers as volcanic ash spread across the region.

Authorities say they are monitoring the volcano, which remains under the country’s second-highest alert status. According to scientists, the event’s exceptional scale makes its impact hard to anticipate.

The eruption has renewed debate on whether Indonesia’s monitoring and disaster planning can be strengthened.

On Friday, the volcano, situated on the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra, started its 25-hour “continuous” eruption, according to the Geological Agency.

The agency this week said the probability of further eruptions from Anak Krakatoa in the near future “remains high”, as the volcano could eject “incandescent rocks accompanied by heavy ashfall” as well as “lava flows”.

Volcanic ash reached as high as 50,000 feet (15,240 metres) on Monday, meteorological agency BMKG said.