The volcano of Sakurajima, in the southwest of Japanhas erupted, as announced today by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) with a request to citizens to move away from the area.
The volcano, located in Kagoshima prefecture, erupted at 08:05 local time (11:05 GMT) and the detached stones fell up to 2.5 kilometers away from it, although there were no immediate reports of injuries according to a report from Eph.
?? Moment of the volcano explosion #Sakurajimaalthough it is not large, it is observed how the incandescent ballistic material is expelled at a distance of 2.5 km from the crater.
The reason for the level 5 alert ? is to evacuate residential areas exposed to this volcanic hazard. pic.twitter.com/wEH0msDbWw
— EarthQuakesTime (@EarthQuakesTime) July 24, 2022
The JMA raised the alert to the highest level, from 3 to 5, the first time it has taken this measure for this volcano and asked citizens to evacuate the area and be careful with the rocks that may come off.
According to local media, this is the second time the JMA has issued an Eruption Alert Level 5 eruption warning for volcanoes across the country since it was issued to Kuchi-Nagarabujima Island in Kagoshima prefecture in 2015, and the second time since the Eruption Alert Level was introduced, in 2007.
Some 600 people live within a radius of 4 kilometers around Sakurajima, one of the most active volcanoes in Japan, and the approach to its crater has been prohibited since 2016, according to Eph.
Japan is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire and has 110 active volcanoes on its territory.
With information from Eph.
