Japan’s Meteorological Agency said in a press release that there have been no injuries reported since the 1,592-metre Mount Aso erupted early Monday. Black plumes of smoke, the meteorological agency said, went up over 2 kilometres into the sky.
Kyushu is at the southern tip of Japan and while not a large island, and one with few inhabitants, it is a popular place to hike. The possibility of a volcano eruption was known — Mt. Aso is one of Japan’s biggest active volcanoes — and it’s considered fortunate no one was in the path of the molten lava.
The eruption came without warning and officials said there were hikers who’d assembled in the parking lot area at the bottom of the mountain, but none had begun a trek up. Those people were safely evacuated.
The country’s NHK national television had shots of volcanic ash being plummeted up into the air and there were shots of ash landing as far away as four kilometres. There is a nuclear plant 160 miles south of the volcano but officials said the eruption would have no impact on it whatever.
Japan is wary of volcano eruptions and the destruction they can bring. There are many active volcanoes in the country and just last year Mount Ontake, a volcano in the central area of Japan, erupted and killed 63 people.
A smaller volcano on an ever smaller island south of Kyushu erupted last Spring and residents there had to be evacuated; there were no injuries in that eruption.
