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Volcano in Japan Erupts, Coughs Out Colossal Cloud of Ash and Smoke

The eruption happened this Friday at 10 a.m. local time

May 29, 2015 11:39 GMT  ·  By
Volcano in Japan erupts without warning
   Volcano in Japan erupts without warning

A volcano on a remote island in Japan erupted this Friday at about 10 a.m. local time, sending a colossal cloud of ash and smoke soaring above the mountain's crater. 

The eruption was caught on film, and footage showing the thick column of volcanic material billowing from Japan's Mount Shindake on Kuchinoerabu Island in Kagoshima Prefecture is now making the rounds.

The debris reached impressive heights

In a statement, officials with Japan's Meteorological Agency say that the column of ash and smoke produced by Mount Shindake during this latest eruption reached an altitude of over 9 kilometers (about 5.6 miles).

Just to put things into perspective, it must be said that Mount Shindake itself reaches a height of just 650 meters (a little over 2,130 feet).

The last time this volcano on Kuchinoerabu Island in Japan's Kagoshima Prefecture erupted was in last year's August. Geologists say that, over the past few decade, the mountain has been especially restless.

Some researchers say that, judging by the volcano's behavior these past few years, it might be that another eruption is in the making.

Authorities in the area are on high alert

Following the eruption, authorities ordered that residents and visitors to Kuchinoerabu Island be evacuated without delay and taken to the nearby island of Yakushima.

Except for a 72-year-old man who suffered a burn injury to his forehead, no casualties have until now been reported. Islanders and tourists alike are alive and well. Still, it is unclear when the evacuated residents of Kuchinoerabu Island will be allowed to return to their home.

“I have instructed the relevant personnel to do all they can to ensure the safety of islanders,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the press in an interview.

RT tells us that, although some flights heading for southeast Asia were asked to take another route than the already established one, this was merely a precaution. Apart from these diverted flights, air traffic in the region remains, at least for now, unaffected.   

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