Japan: Sakurajima volcano eruption triggers level 5 alert, residential evacuations

Sakurajima volcano, located on Japanese island of Kyushu, erupted in wee hours of Sunday, spewing rocks and ash around. While re aren’t any casualties reported so far, eruption has prompted evacuations in region. In aftermath, concerned authorities issued a Level 5 Alert, vising people to evacuate ir homes. Residents in Kagoshima Prefecture and Kagoshima City were vised to exercise caution. 

According to Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA), volcano erupted around 8:05 am  (local time) on Sunday. Soon, it started spewing lava, shooting a cloud of smoke or ash in sky, as shown by footage captured by agency’s camera. Or footage that later surfaced on social media showed orange flames flashing near main crater and dense smoke billowing into sky.  

It is pertinent to note that earlier on Tuesday, authorities in Kagoshima City decided to allow residents evacuated after eruption of Sakurajima volcano to return home temporarily, according to NHK. 

“We will put people’s lives first and do our utmost to assess situation and respond to any emergency,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki was quoted as saying by Associated Press. He called on residents in area to pay close attention to latest update from local authorities to protect ir lives.

Located on Pacific Ring of Fire 

Sakurajima volcano is located about a thousand kilometres southwest of Tokyo. It is most active volcano in Japan and makes frequent eruptions. It was an island but an eruption and subsequent lava flow in 1914 connected it with Ōsumi Peninsula. Interestingly, Sakurajima sits on Pacific "Ring of Fire" which is characterized by over 100 active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.

Just a few days ago, skies above Antarctica were seen in stunning shes of pink and purple due to "afterglow effect" of Tonga volcano eruption. mesmerising images were captured by New Zealand science technician Stuart Shaw, who is stationed at Scott Base in Antarctica. phenomenon has been previously observed in or regions like New Zealand in June caused by aerosols in stratosphere due to Tonga volcanic eruption that happened in January. 

(Image: lilyregale/Twitter)