Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - On Sunday evening, a volcano on Kyushu, Japan's largest western island, erupted, spewing black smoke...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - On Sunday evening, a volcano on Kyushu, Japan's largest western island, erupted, spewing black smoke far into the air. However, there were no initial reports of any damage or injuries, and authorities indicated they did not anticipate a significant eruption.
The Sakurajima volcano, which is close to the city of Kagoshima on the southern tip of Kyushu, erupted at around 8:05 p.m. (1105 GMT), according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA).
A JMA officer said that volcanic stones began to fall 2.5 km (1.5 miles) away from the volcano. He continued that no significant eruption was anticipated but that the highest level of eruption alert, 5, had been elevated and some communities had been warned to leave.
One of Japan's most active volcanoes, Sakurajima often has eruptions of various intensity. It ejected ash 5.5 kilometres (3.4 miles) high in 2019.
Yoshihiko Isozaki, the deputy chief cabinet secretary, said at a news conference that there had been no initial reports of damage from Sunday's eruption as officials looked for additional details on the matter.
Nuclear regulators reported that the Sendai nuclear power station, which is located around 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the volcano, had no anomalies.
Red projectiles were seen shooting skyward from what looked to be a red mass that was streaming down the volcano's one side in video footage.
In certain places close to the volcano, rain was predicted for Monday, according to the JMA, but not the kind of severe rain that might trigger mudslides after the eruption.
The majority of Kagoshima is across the harbour from the volcano, however NHK reported that depending on the scenario, many residential districts within around 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) of the crater may be required to evacuate.
51 nearby residents were reportedly being evacuated, according to a later report.
