Japan: Shimmoe volcano erupts, column of ashes 5,000m high

On the morning of April 5, Shimmoe volcano in the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu began to erupt violently with columns of ash as high as 5,000 meters.

Shimmoe volcano sprayed columns of ash into the air.(Source: Kyodo / TTXVN).

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Mount Shimmoe started erupting at dawn and this was the most intense eruption since March 25th.

Earlier, March 6, the 1,421-meter volcano, located in the Kirishima Mountains, stretching from Kagoshima Prefecture to Miyazaki Prefecture, suddenly erupted for the first time in 7 years.

A week later, the JMA warned that the volcano would continue to operate in the next few months. The agency maintains an alarm on volcanic activity at level 3 on a scale of 5 levels with increasing levels.

With alarm level 3, people are advised to limit access to volcanoes, warning large rocks that can be far away in a 3km radius and lava flows that can flow within 2km from the crater.