Scientists say the volcano now has a volume of 40-70 million cubic metres after losing 150-180 million cubic metres. (Source: Reuters) Hanoi (VNA) - Indonesia's Mt. Anak Krakatau, an activevolcano whose eruption last weekend triggered a deadly tsunami, has lost overtwo-thirds of its height, according to the Centre for Volcanology andGeological Hazard Mitigation.
The centre said in a press statement on December 29 that the volcano nowstands 110 meters high, down from 338 m in recent months.
According to the centre, which is based in the West Java provincialcapital of Bandung, the position of Mt. Anak Krakatau's peak is now lower thanthe nearby islands of Sertung and Panjang.
The centre also said Mt. Anak Krakatau has lost between 150 million and170 million cubic meters of its volume, with only between 40 million and 70million cubic meters remaining.
"Anak Krakatoa is now much shorter, usually you can see the peakfrom the observatory post, now you can't," said Wawan Irawan, a seniorofficial at the agency.
Before and after satellite images taken by Japan's space agency showedthat a two square kilometre chunk of the volcanic island had collapsed into thewater.
The eruption of the volcano on December 22 caused the southwestern flankof its caldera to collapse, causing underwater landslides that triggered atsunami that hit nearby coastlines of Java and Sumatra.
A total of 431 people are confirmed to have died as of December 29, with15 others still missing and 7,202 injured. Nearly 47,000 people have beendisplaced.
Given the volcano's remaining low volume, the agency said thepossibility of another tsunami being triggered by an eruption is low.
On December 27, the centre raised the alert status of the volcano due toincreased activity to Level 3, one notch below the highest level. Itrecommended that locals and tourists not be allowed within a radius of 5kilometers of the peak.
Volcanic activity at Mt. Anak Krakatau has been on the increase sinceJune, with almost daily eruptions.
It is the product of the infamous Krakatau, whose tsunami-triggeringeruption in 1883 was one of the largest of modern times, killing more than36,000 people and leaving a massive crater in which grew Mt. Anak Krakatau, or "Childof Krakatau."-VNA
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