The Sakurajima volcano in southern Japan, located 30 miles from a nuclear plant, has erupted explosively, sending lava flowing down its slope. Japan’s Meteorological Agency says that the volcano erupted at 7 pm local time (3.30 pm IST).
The eruption sent an orange burst into the evening sky. Public broadcaster NHK also showed dark gray smoke billowing into the sky.
The volcano, in the southern Kagoshima prefecture, has been under an orange alert since September last year, when people were warned to stay away.
An eruption in 1914 was the most powerful in Japan in the twentieth century. Lava flows from the volcano connected the former island to the mainland.
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