A VOLCANO in southern Japan has erupted, shooting smoke and ash thousands of feet into the sky and grounding dozens of flights to and from a nearby airport.
The Meteorological Agency said the Shinmoedake volcano erupted violently several times yesterday, sending ash and smoke up to 7500ft into the air in its biggest explosion since 2011.
Some lava was also spotted rising from the inside of the crater, which is situated on Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushum.
The volcano, seen in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice, has had smaller eruptions since last week and is one of 110 active sites in Japan.
And about 80 flights in and out of nearby Kagoshima Airport were cancelled. Public broadcaster NHK showed volcanic smoke billowing into the sky and orange lava rising to the mouth of the crater
In Kirishima city, at the foot of the volcano, pedestrians wore surgical masks or covered their noses with hand towels. Some used umbrellas to protect themselves from falling ash. Cars had layers of ash on their roofs. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
The volcanic activity is expected to continue and residents were cautioned against the possibility of flying rocks and pyroclastic flows – superheated gas and volcanic debris that race down the slopes at high speeds, incinerating or vaporising everything in their path.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here