Evacuations ordered as Japan’s Sakurajima volcano erupts, highest alert level raised
- Television footage showed red-hot rocks and dark plumes exploding from Sakurajima volcano in Kagoshima, southern Japan
- Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has instructed the government ‘to work closely with the local municipality to ensure damage prevention, such as through evacuations’
Dozens of people were ordered to evacuate their homes after a fiery volcanic eruption in southern Japan on Sunday as the national weather agency issued its top-level alert for the mountain.
Television footage showed red-hot rocks and dark plumes exploding from Sakurajima volcano in Kagoshima, which erupted just after 8pm local time on Sunday. It erupted again early on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
There were no immediate reports of damage, deputy chief cabinet secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki said on Sunday.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has instructed the government “to work closely with the local municipality to ensure damage prevention, such as through evacuations,” Isozaki told reporters.
The seaside city ordered residents to evacuate its Arimura district and part of the Furusato district, which are home to 51 people, according to local media.
Sakurajima volcano frequently spits out smoke and ash, and is a major tourist attraction.
Sunday’s blast propelled large cinders about 2.5km (1.5 miles) from the crater, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said, while the smoke reached around 300 metres and merged with the clouds.
The agency raised its alert for Sakurajima to level five, the top level, which urges evacuations.