A volcano spewed plumes of lava and clouds of ash more than 16,000 feet into the sky as it carried out its most powerful eruptions in years.
Sakurajima, a stratovolcano located in the Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan, started erupting on February 14 and continued its explosive activity throughout February 15.
Incredible videos depicting the eruption show a large column of thick dark smoke rising above the crater of the volcano, and fiery plumes of lava exploding out of the summit of Sakurajima. Lightning can also be seen sparking through the clouds emerging from the volcano.
The eruption was so violent that some large boulders fell nearly a mile from the crater after being shot up into the air. No pyroclastic flow has been spotted yet, the local weather office said, lowering the immediate danger for people in the surrounding areas.
The eruption occurred at the Minamidake crater – its southern peak – around 9.33am GMT (6.33pm local time), nearly four years after lava last spewed from the same crater in August 2020.
Volcanic ashes have been forecasted to cover parts of Kumamoto, Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
No reports of injuries and damage to buildings emerged in the hours following the beginning of the eruption.
Yet, people have been warned not to approach the volcano, and the Japanese agency warned people living on the lower flanks of the mountain they should be ready to evacuate if the eruption intensifies.
Fears of secondary, and even larger, eruptions have been quashed for now as the Japan Meteorological Agency noted the swelling of the mountain that had been detected prior to the first explosion has subsided.
Sakurajima has three peaks, with its highest rising 3,665 feet above sea level, and is the most active volcano in Japan.
The area in which the volcano is located used to be an island inhabited by a few thousand people.
Following its 1914 eruption, the most explosive in 20th century Japan, the area became a peninsula as Sakurajima spewed so much pyroclastic and lava flows it filled the narrow strait separating the area from the mainland.
The area is a popular tourist destination known for its hot springs, local pottery made from volcanic ash, and tasty produce grown in the fertile volcanic soil.
