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Japan raises Mt. Aso alert after eruption
An aerial photo taken by a Yomiuri Shimbun helicopter shows Mt
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An aerial photo taken by a Yomiuri Shimbun helicopter shows Mt. Asoâs Nakadake peak fuming smoke in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Monday afternoon. (The Yomiuri Shimbun/ANN) (The Yomiuri Shimbun/ANN)
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span class="inline inline-center">An aerial photo taken by a Yomiuri Shimbun helicopter shows Mt. Aso's Nakadake peak fuming smoke in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Monday afternoon. (The Yomiuri Shimbun/ANN)
Mt. Aso erupted in Kumamoto Prefecture on Monday morning, prompting authorities to raise the alert level for the volcano from Level 2 to Level 3.
The No. 1 crater on Mt. Aso's 1,506-meter-high Nakadake peak erupted at 9:43am, sending huge plumes of thick smoke about 2,000 meters into the sky, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
With the alert level raised Monday, the city government of Aso and other authorities designated a no-entry zone over a radius of about four kilometers from the crater.
There were no reports of deaths or injuries as of 11 a.m., according to the Kumamoto prefectural government.
Level 3 restricts entry into mountains, and Level 2 regulates access to areas around craters.
Mt. Aso received a Level 3 designation for the first time since the alert level system was introduced in December 2007.
The agency released a prompt report seven minutes after the eruption, its first use of a fast-response report system that was rolled out in August.
The agency confirmed that the peak was spitting out large cinders, and said some could fly as far as a kilometer away if another eruption occurred at a similar level.
According to the volcanic ash forecast announced by the agency at 10:35 a.m., a layer of ash at least a millimeter thick was expected in some locations, including the city of Aso and the village of Minami-Aso, if the eruption continued until 3 p.m.
In other locations, including Kumamoto city, volcanic ash was likely to accumulate.
The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry released a warning to airplanes flying near the area at 10:03am.
In response to the warning, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines decided to cancel flights arriving at and taking off from Kumamoto Airport.
There were more than 100 volcanic earthquakes at Mt. Aso from September 6 through September 9.
On Thursday and Friday, minor volcanic activity was confirmed on the mountain, which was emitting volcanic fumes.
There were three fatalities when Mt. Aso erupted in September 1979. (k)(++++)
