Japan’s Sakurajima volcano erupts before dawn on Sunday

Sakurajima in Kagoshima Prefecture erupts around 1:09 a.m. Sunday. The Japan News/Asia News Network

TOKYO — Sakurajima, a volcano in Kagoshima Prefecture, erupted around 1:09 a.m. on Sunday, spewing a 2,300 meter high plume of smoke from the crater of its Minamitake summit, according to the Kagoshima Local Meteorological Observatory.

At 2:40 a.m., the observatory reported that pyroclastic flows from the volcano had reached about 1.8 kilometers to the southwest. An alert zone, which had been in place for the 2 kilometer radius around the Minamitake crater and the Showa Crater, was expanded to 2.4 kilometers, nearing residential areas.

This is the first time since June 16, 2018, that pyroclastic flows of more than one kilometer have been observed on Sakurajima, according to the Fukuoka District Meteorological Observatory.

The Kagoshima observatory urged caution against falling rocks and ash, warning that more eruptions may follow.