Oct 14 (NHK) - Japan's Meteorological Agency says a volcano in the country's southwest has erupted again, following an eruption on Wednesday.
The agency says Mount Shinmoe in the Kirishima mountain range bordering Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefectures erupted at 8:23 AM on Saturday.
The volcanic event sent a plume about 2,300 meters into the air, the highest level since the mountain erupted on Wednesday. That eruption was the first in 6 years.
Saturday's event occurred despite an announcement by the agency on Friday that successive eruptions appeared to have stopped.
Agency officials say there is a chance of another major eruption. They are keeping their warning level at 3 on a scale of 1 to 5, and urging people within a radius of about 2 kilometers of the crater to be careful of large volcanic rocks and pyroclastic flows.
As of 11 AM, rain containing volcanic ash was falling in Kobayashi City, Miyazaki Prefecture, on the north side of the mountain.
Agency officials expect large amounts of ash to fall in parts of Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures before 3 PM on Saturday. They are urging residents to stay indoors.
Source: ANNnewsCH
