Japanese island covered in ash a day after eruption that sent plumes shooting into sky

Trees on Kuchinoerabu Island, 1,000km southwest of Tokyo, are seen covered in ash after being levelled by a violent volcanic eruption that forced the evacuation of the island. Japan's weather agency said yesterday the volcano had stopped erupting, a day after Mount Shindake, which sits on the far southern island of Kuchinoerabu, suddenly sent plumes of ash up to 9,000 metres tall shooting into the sky. Television pictures showed the after-effects of the six-minute eruption, as ash and rock cascaded down the mountainside towards one of the island's harbours. Grey sediment blanketed the breakwaters and discoloured the sea. The eruption forced all of the island's nearly 140 inhabitants to flee, with one elderly man having suffered a minor facial injury. The Japan Meteorological Agency said volcanic activity at the site had calmed for now. But it is unclear whether this will remain the case, the agency said, maintaining its volcanic alert for the peak at the highest level. Yesterday morning, smoke was observed 200 metres above the volcano, a level seen before Friday's major eruption, Japan's Jiji Press agency said. Until Friday, the volcano's most recent eruption had been on August 3 last year, Kyodo reported. That eruption prompted 87 people, including some visiting on business, to leave the following day. Photo: Kyodo