Volcano erupts in Japan, spewing ash on residents up to 2.5 miles away, prompting evacuation

Japan raised the emergency alert level to the maximum five and urged residents to evacuate after the volcano erupted.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the eruption of Sakurajima on the western island of Kyushu occurred around 20:05 local time today.

According to a report by state broadcaster NHK, boulders were falling within 2.5 km (1.5 miles) of the volcano.

Regulators confirmed that there were no violations at the nearby Sendai nuclear power plant.

Sakurajima is one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. Its eruption caused an earthquake

Japanese authorities raised the disaster level to five after the eruption

The eruption warning level has been raised to 5, the highest, and evacuations are recommended for some areas, the statement added.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

Sakurajima is one of Japan’s most active volcanoes, and eruptions of various levels occur regularly. In 2019, it spewed ash 5.5 km (3.4 mi) high.

Most of the city of Kagoshima is on the other side of the bay from the massive volcano (pictured in 2015)

Videos of Sunday’s eruption showed what appeared to be a red mass flowing down one side of the volcano, with red projectiles flying out, while billowing smoke that was difficult to see in the darkness.

Most of the city of Kagoshima is on the other side of the bay from the volcano, but further residential areas within about 3 km (1.9 miles) of the crater may be evacuated, NHK said.

Officials in Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office were gathering information on the situation, the report added.

Volcanic lightning flashes over the 1,117m peak in December 2020.

Sakurajima glows as lava flows from inside the stratovolcano in February 2016.