Sakurajima Volcano Erupts, Evacuation Alerts Raised To Highest Level

Sakurajima volcano, located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, erupted on Sunday. According to the Meteorological Agency, it was prompting the alert for eruptions to be elevated to the highest level.

A video grab from the Japan Meteorological Agency’s live camera image shows an eruption of Sakurajima in Kumamoto, Kumamoto prefecture, western Japan, July 24, 2022. Japan Meteorological Agency/Handout via Reuters

Volcanic stones fell as high as 2.5 kilometers away from the explosion. However, there was no immediate report of injuries from the eruption, which occurred at 8:05 p.m. on Sunday.

After an eruption in the area, authorities increased their alert to the volcanic eruption from 3.0 to 5.0 on a five-point scale and warned the public to leave.

It’s the second time that the highest alert level was placed on a volcano in the aftermath of the eruption of 2015 of Kuchinoerabu Island in Kagoshima Prefecture.

After Sunday’s eruption, Premier Fumio Kishida directed his government to immediately collect details on any damages that may have occurred and devise strategies to aid residents and hikers get out of the area.

The authorities have warned people living within a 3 km radius to be on the lookout for rocks falling from the sky. It demanded vigilance against the pyroclastic flow for those within a two-kilometer radius around these Kraters.

A local hotel owner confirmed to Kyodo News by phone that the staff was evacuated per the warning.

Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg

The Japanese Meteorological Agency has been observing minor shifts in the crust around the volcano that indicate the volcano’s expansion.

Japan has more than a hundred active volcanos, about 10% of the world’s active ones. Sakurajima is one of them and lies on Kyushu island by the Osumi Peninsula

Source: Japantimes

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