Volcano erupts delay Japan flights
[intro] JAPAN: A series of spectacular eruptions from a volcano in
southern Japan fired columns of ash and smoke thousands of metres in the
air early Wednesday, with the cloud delaying some international flights
to Tokyo.
JAPAN: A series of spectacular eruptions from a volcano in southern
Japan fired columns of ash and smoke thousands of metres in the air
early Wednesday, with the cloud delaying some international flights to
Tokyo.
The 1,421-metre (4,689-feet) Shinmoedake volcano in the Kirishima
range, featured in the 1967 James Bond film “You Only Live Twice”,
continued the series of deafening blasts which began with the start of
its first major eruption for 52 years last week.
After a huge explosion at 5:25 am (2025 GMT), the peak spewed fiery
crimson debris and flame into a dark pre-dawn sky, before erupting again
at 10:47 am, an official at the Fukuoka District Meteorological
Observatory said.
Several inbound international flights to Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda
airports, including some operated by Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific,
were delayed Wednesday morning, airline officials said.
However, scheduled flights were expected to return to normal
throughout the day, operating above the ash cloud.
Domestic flights and train schedules have been subject to
cancellations and sport has also been affected, with three J-League
football teams forced to cancel spring training camps in the area,
officials said.
On Tuesday the force from a huge blast from the erupting volcano
shattered windows up to 12 kilometres (seven miles) away.
The Japan Meteorological Agency widened the zone around the
Shinmoedake volcano seen to be at risk from flying debris from three to
four kilometres from the peak.
Authorities on Wednesday repeated calls for the public to stay away
from the volcano and warned of falling debris in the surrounding area.
Until late Tuesday, the government counted four injuries, including
one serious case.
More than 600 residents of the town of Takaharu in Miyazaki
prefecture have been forced to evacuate and take shelter in school halls
and community centres.
A dome of lava inside the crater, growing as pressure increases from
below, has been expanding quickly, prompting concerns it could spill
over the rim of the volcano and flow down the sides of the mountain.
TOKYO, AFP
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