Japan is on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and has frequent seismic activity. Sakurajima erupts often, and the Japan Meteorological Agency maintains a warning against people going near the volcano.
KAGOSHIMA – Japan’s most active volcanoes, Sakurajima erupted violently on Sunday, sending an ash plume thousands of feet into the air. Visibility in the city of Kagoshima, deteriorated quickly as the ash was spreading into populated portions of the city.
People in Kagoshima city wore masks and raincoats and used umbrellas to shield themselves from the ash after the Sakurajima volcano erupted Sunday afternoon. Drivers had to turn on the headlights, and driving through the ash was described like driving through snow at night. Railway operators stopped service in the city temporarily so that the accumulated ash could be removed from the tracks.
The volcano, located in the far southwestern part of Japan’s mainland on the island of Kyushu, began to erupt at 4:31 p.m. local time Sunday (3:31 a.m. EDT U.S. time). The smoke plume eventually reached a height of 5,000 meters (approximately 16,000 feet). Public broadcaster NHK reported it was the volcano’s tallest ash plume since 1955.
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