Sakurajima volcano in Japan has erupted, sparking ash storm

A VOLCANO has erupted just 50km from a Japanese nuclear reactor, sparking a thunderous storm of mud and ash to fall in its vicinity.

The well-known volcano erupted in southern Japan with a fiery blast that sent lava rolling down its slope.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency said Sakurajima on the island of Kyushu erupted at around 7pm.

Japanese television showed an orange burst out of the side of the volcano, near the summit, accompanied by lightning-like flashes. Dark grey smoke billowed into the sky.

The Meteorological Agency banned entry to the area, expanding an existing no-go zone around the crater to a 2-kilometer radius, according to public broadcaster NHK. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

桜島が噴火した時の映像です。 pic.twitter.com/DBkQX9uS1T

— ＮＨＫ生活・防災 (@nhk_seikatsu) 5 февраля 2016

Friday’s eruption, while dramatic, was average compared to Sakurajima’s past eruptions, Kyoto University volcanologist Kazuhiro Ishihara told NHK.
The mountain’s last major eruption was in September.

The Japanese archipelago sits atop the Pacific “Ring of fire” and has more than 100 volcanoes. The 2014 eruption of Mount Ontake in central Japan killed 57 people.

桜島の午後7時頃の画像です。 pic.twitter.com/1oQphU1TMU

— ＮＨＫ生活・防災 (@nhk_seikatsu) 5 февраля 2016

The Sendai nuclear plant, run by Kyushu Electric Power, on the same island as Sakurajima, resumed operations last year.

It was shut down, along with all of Japan’s nuclear plants, after a 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered a meltdown at a nuclear plant north of Tokyo.