TOKYO (Sputnik) – A security ship is also headed for Kuchinoerabu-jima, Abe said, adding that the orders were given about 15 minutes after the Shindake volcano started erupting at 10 a.m. local time (01:00 GMT) on Friday.
Emergency headquarters were set up at the crisis center of Abe’s office amid the eruption, which prompted the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue the highest, level 5 alert.
An agency spokesperson told journalists on Friday that more powerful eruptions could occur on Kuchinoerabu-jima later on and urged the island residents to follow evacuation orders.
The #crater of mount #Shindake #volcano #Kuchinoerabu island #Japan pic.twitter.com/krUZJ52QR7
— Roberto C. Lopez (@Bromotengger) August 15, 2014
The meteorological agency’s cameras captured the Shindake volcano spitting out black smoke and ash, with the plume rising 9,000 meters (29,500 feet) up into the air. The meteorologists also reported that a pyroclastic flow of heated gas and rock flowed down the western side of the volcano, reaching the ocean.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
New #eruption of the #Shindake #volcano at #Kuchinoerabu #Island #Japan Photo: Sekiguchi pic.twitter.com/HnvGYV7jdC
— Roberto C. Lopez (@Bromotengger) August 3, 2014
About 140 people live on the remote Kuchinoerabu-jima island that has an area of around 38 square kilometers (15 square miles). The island can only be reached by boat or ferry, which runs between Kuchinoerabu-jima and Yakushima Island. The ferry trip takes about one hour.
Several people were killed as a result of the largest volcanic eruption on Kuchinoerabu-jima in December, 1933.
Japan, which is home to 7 percent of the world’s volcanoes, has seen an upsurge in volcanic activity in recent months.
