Mt. Shiveluch volcano in Russia, which is situated on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula, erupted on Tuesday. The volcano sent up an ash plume 10 kilometres high that may pose a threat to air traffic, the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) said.
Issuing a code red Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation, the team noted that a 'large ash cloud' was moving west of the volcano. The notice also said ash explosions up to 15 kilometers high could occur at any time, and 'ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft.'
Schools were shut, and residents in villages close to the eruption were told to stay indoors, head of the Ust-Kamchatsky municipal region Oleg Bondarenko said, as per news agency Reuters.
The cloud drifted to the west and south and measured 400 by 270 kilometres, the news agency said, citing the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Telegram page. Russian media said the ash cloud was spreading.
Videos of the Russian village of Klyuchi in Kamchatka covered in ash due to the eruption of the Shiveluch volcano are doing the rounds on social media. Here are some clips of the village.
Russia’s Mt Shiveluch erupted at least 60 times in the past 10,000 years. The last major eruption was reported in 2007. There are two parts of Mt Shiveluch - Young Shiveluch and Old Shiveluch. The Young Shiveluch has been extremely active in recent months, with a peak of 2,800 metres and it protrudes out of the 3,283 metre-high Old Shiveluch.
