TOKYO (Sputnik) – Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued a level 3 warning for residents to avoid approaching the southwestern island of Sakurajima on Friday.
Sakurajima volcano in Japan is erupting in dramatic fashion again! https://t.co/iMpUm53XnI pic.twitter.com/8mqF2ktaja
— Geological Society (@geolsoc) 5 февраля 2016
The eruption occurred at 19:13 local time (10:13 GMT), the agency said.
Japanese broadcasters depicted the volcano spewing clouds of ash and smoke up to 1.3 miles in the air, with rocks scattered over a mile from the crater.
Sakurajima, one of the most active volcanos in Japan, erupted last September.
The Sakurajima volcano is located about 31 miles from the Sendai nuclear power plant, the first nuclear facility to restart one of its reactors last August, after new safety rules were introduced in Japan following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
