Ash spewed from Mount Sakurajima in Japan, reaching up to 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) into the sky as it was ejected from the Showa crater, thankfully captured in spectacular footage recorded this morning.
Mount Sakurajima, a volcano in Kagoshima, southwestern Japan, erupted at 7:56am local time, according to the Weather Agency in Tokyo. This is the second major activity from the volcano within the last few weeks.
There have not been any reports of injury as a result of the eruption as yet, though the agency warned that further activity at the volcano could still occur.
The volcano has been under level 3 orange alert by the Japan Meteorological Agency since June 2016. The last major eruption of the volcano took place on May 29 this year, covering homes 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away in Kagoshima in ash. At this alert level, the authorities advise “caution in non-residential areas near the crater” and suggest that you should not approach the volcano.
Sakurajima is constantly active, though there have been no fatalities caused by the volcano since a major blast in 1914, in which 58 people lost their lives. However, a recent study by Scientific Reports revealed that another major eruption is almost certainly due by 2044.
Ask me anything
Explore related questions