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Sakurajima volcano in Japan erupts, alert level raised to highest
Volcanic stones fell up to 2.5 kilometers from the volcano, but there were no immediate reports of injuries following the eruption that occurred around 8:05 p.m., the agency and local police said, quoted by Kyodo News.
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This handout photograph taken and released from the MLITT Osumi river and national highway office via Jiji Press on February 5, 2016, shows a picture taken with the office camera showing the volcanic eruption of Sakurajima as seen from Kagoshima, southern Japan.
(AFP/Jiji Press)
S
akurajima volcano in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, erupted Sunday, causing the eruption alert to be raised to its highest level, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Volcanic stones fell up to 2.5 kilometers from the volcano, but there were no immediate reports of injuries following the eruption that occurred around 8:05 p.m., the agency and local police said, quoted by Kyodo News.
Following the eruption, the agency raised its alert for the volcano from level 3 to 5 on its 5-point scale, warning the public to evacuate. It marks the first time that level 5 has been issued for the volcano.
The prime minister's office said it is gathering information about the situation.
Since Monday, the agency has observed minor crustal movements indicating expansion of the volcano.
The agency is urging caution against falling rocks and stones and pyroclastic flows within a 2-km radius of the Minamidake and Showa craters.
Sakurajima is one of the most active volcanoes in Japan and is connected to the Osumi Peninsula on Kyushu, the country's southwestern main island.
Japan's nuclear regulators said on Sunday no irregularities had been detected at the Sendai nuclear power plant after the nearby Sakurajima volcano erupted.
The nuclear facility on Japan's western major island of Kyushu is located some 50 km (31 miles) northwest of Sakurajima, a volcano that erupted at about 8:05 p.m. (1105 GMT).
At around 10:00 p.m, or two hours after the eruption, a Japanese government spokesperson told reporters the government had not heard of any damage from the eruption, Reuters reported.
