Smoke sent three miles high into air as Japan’s Sakurajima volcano erupts

Smoke plumes rose three miles above the summit crater of a volcano on Sakurajima in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, as it erupted on Wednesday, 14 February.

Local government said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to buildings.

People were urged not to approach the volcano by the Kagoshima Meteorological Office, who recorded the volcanic activity alert level at three.

It is the first time smoke has risen to 5,000 metres since an eruption in 2020.

Local meteorologists said rocks flew at a distance of 1,000 to 1,300 meters but there were no pyroclastic flows.