THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
February 15, 2024 at 14:10 JST
The active Mount Sakurajima volcano in Kagoshima erupted in a spectacular Valentine's Day display on Feb. 14, spewing plumes of ash 5,000 meters into the air.
According to the Kagoshima Meteorological Office and other sources, the eruption at around 6:33 p.m. occurred at a vent atop the Minamidake summit.
This was the first time since Aug. 9, 2020, that volcanic plumes had reached that height, the sources said.
Volcanic cinders, or rocks, flew 1.3 kilometers.
A large volume of volcanic ash is also floating northeast, meteorological officials said.
The ash is expected to fall in Kagoshima, Kirishima and other municipalities in Kagoshima Prefecture. Small amounts of ash are expected to drift as far as Miyazaki and Kumamoto prefectures.
Sakurajima remains at an alert level 3 under a five-level volcanic alert system and no entry to the areas around the mountain is permitted.
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Mount Sakurajima in Kagoshima erupts on Feb. 14. (The Asahi Shimbun)
