Alert for Sakurajima volcano up to highest-ever
KAGOSHIMA. KAZINFORM - The weather agency on Saturday raised its alert level for the Sakurajima volcano in southwestern Japan to 4 on a 5-point scale, the highest ever for the mountain, with the possibility growing of a major eruption there.
The level 4 alert calls for evacuation preparations. Earthquakes originating from the island volcano near Kagoshima City in Kagoshima Prefecture have been frequently recorded since around 7 a.m. Saturday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The city issued an evacuation advisory for parts of the Mt. Sakurajima area, affecting 77 residents. There have been some 690 eruptions from the Showa vent of the 1,117-meter volcano since the start of this year, with the plume reaching an altitude of some 4,300 meters on May 21. The volcano had a major eruption in August 2013, spewing volcanic ash 5,000 meters into the sky. Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai nuclear power plant, which became the first to be rebooted Tuesday under Japan's tightened safety rules, is located some 50 kilometers from the volcano. No abnormality has been reported at the plant. Source: Kyodo