Mount Aso volcano erupted in Japan on Wednesday, releasing a gigantic 3,500-meter-high column of ash as dozens of hikers raced away from this southwestern tourist spot.
For now, no injuries have been reported from the eruption of this volcano, 1,592 meters high, whose explosion was recorded by nearby surveillance cameras.
The authorities recommended that people not go near the area due to the emission of gases and ash and the stones that were thrown from the volcano. The authorities checked, above all, if there were trapped hikers, local officials told the Japanese media.
The slopes of the volcano were covered with torrents of light gray ash, which moved in the direction of a nearby museum, in whose parking lot there were dozens of vehicles and tourist buses, although without reaching it.
Those near the mountain “should exercise caution due to large ejected rocks and the flow of pyroclastic materials,” Tomoaki Ozaki of Japan’s meteorological agency told a televised news conference.
“Caution is necessary, even in remote areas, as the wind can transport not only ashes but also stones,” added Ozaki, who also warned of the danger of possible toxic gases.
The last warning of these characteristics for this mountain was in 2016, when it erupted after 19 years of inactivity. It had registered a small eruption on Thursday, Kyodo News noted.
Japan is one of the most volcanically active countries in the world. It is located in the so-called “Ring of Fire” of the Pacific, where a significant part of the world’s earthquakes and eruptions are recorded.
Located on the island of Kyushu, Mount Aso is one of the most guarded volcanoes of the hundred that are still active in Japan, such as Mount Fuji, about a hundred kilometers from Tokyo.
Japan’s meteorological agency warned in recent days that volcanic activity in the Mount Aso region had increased.
In September 2014, the archipelago suffered its deadliest eruption in nearly 90 years, when Mount Ontake (center) unexpectedly reactivated, killing more than 60 people.
