Volcano in southwestern Japan erupts

Tokyo, Aug 28 (IANS) Mount Shinmoe on the southwestern Japan main island of Kyushu erupted on Thursday, with plumes rising to 5,500 meters above the volcano's peak, local media reported.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said that the 1,421-metre volcano straddling Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures erupted at 4:53 a.m. local time, sending volcanic material 5,000 metres above the crater for the first time since July 3, reports Xinhua, quoting Kyodo News.

The JMA maintained the level 3 alert on a scale of 5, calling on the public to refrain from approaching the crater in both Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, the report said.

Mt Shinmoe, one of 50 constantly monitored active volcanoes in Japan, erupted on June 22 for the first time since June 2018.

Earlier on August 10, A powerful eruption occurred at Shinmoedake volcano in Japan's Kirishima mountain range, sending an ash plume soaring more than 3,000 meters above the crater, local media reported.

The volcano, located on the border between Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, has been erupting intermittently since June 27. Ash from Sunday's eruption is drifting northeast and could reach as far as Takanabe in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan’s broadcaster NHK reported.

On June 22, the volcano erupted for the first time since 2018. The JMA reported that the eruption sent a plume of ash over 500 meters above the crater.

The smoke drifted eastward toward Miyazaki prefecture, and no falling volcanic rocks were confirmed back then, according to the reports by Japan’s national broadcasting agency.

Volcanic alert level 2, which restricted entry near the crater, remained in effect for the region for a while. Authorities urged caution within a 2-km radius of the crater due to the risk of large volcanic rocks and pyroclastic flows within approximately 1 kilometre.

Residents were advised to stay alert, especially on the downwind side, where ash and small rocks might have had chances to be carried over long distances.

Last year, a volcano on Sakurajima in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, erupted, with plumes rising to 3,400 metres above the summit crater, the country's weather agency said.

--IANS

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