Ash plumes cancel fights as Japanese volcano erupts

A volcano on Japan’s large western island of Kyushu has erupted multiple times, sending smoke and ash up to 4.4 kilometers into the air and causing dozens of flight cancellations.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said that the volcano, called Sakurajima and located at the southern tip of Kyushu near the city of Kagoshima, erupted at around 1 a.m. local time on Sunday.

Two more explosions occurred around 02.30 and 08.50 in the morning.

This is the first eruption to reach 4 km or higher in almost 13 months, Kyodo news agency reported.

Local media also reported that 30 flights to and from Kagoshima Airport were canceled due to ashfall and related reasons.

Volcanic ash drifted northeastward after the last eruption, and ash was expected to fall on Kagoshima as well as nearby Miyazaki Prefecture on Sunday, the JMA said.

Sakurajima is one of Japan’s most active volcanoes, and eruptions occur regularly at varying levels.

In 2019, it spewed ash up to 5.5 km high.