Volcanic eruption in Japan forces evacuations in 2 towns – Times of India

This long exposure image shows the eruption of the volcano Sakurajima on Sunday night, July 24, 2022, in a view of the city of Tarumizu, in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima, Japan.

Tokyo: Dozens have evacuated two cities JapanThe main southern island of Kyushu where a volcano spewed ash and large rocks into the night sky.
Large rocks fell 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) away sakurajima Sunday Night Volcano in Southern Province Kagoshima, footage of japan NHK Public television showed glowing orange flames near the crater and thick smoke with ash atop the mountain top.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency raised the eruption warning to a high of five and advised 51 residents in the two cities facing the volcano to leave their homes.
According to the city of Kagoshima, as of Monday morning, 33 of them left their homes for a nursing care facility in a safer part of the area. NHK said others subject to evacuation could be moved to other locations.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, “We will put people’s lives first and will do our best to assess the situation and respond to any emergency.” yoshihiko isozakio told reporters. He called on residents to pay close attention to updates from local authorities to protect their lives.
There have been no reports of damage or injuries so far. The crater of the volcano was hidden by bad weather on Monday morning.
The JMA warned of a fall of volcanic rock within 3 kilometers (1.8 mi) of the crater and a possible flow of lava, ash and searing gas within 2 kilometers (1.2 mi).
More explosive violent eruptions were less likely, but residents should still be on alert for falling rocks, mudslides and pyroclastic flows, said Suyoshi Nakatsuji, JMA Officer in charge of Volcano Clock. He advised residents to close the curtains and stay away from windows, which could be shattered by the force of the blast.
Sakurajima on the main southern island of Kyushu is one of Japan’s most active volcanoes and has erupted repeatedly. It used to be an island but became a peninsula after an eruption in 1914 that killed 58 people.
Sakurajima is about 1,000 kilometers (600 mi) southwest of Tokyo.