Moment Russian volcano sends apocalyptic ash cloud 20km into sky

Apocalyptic scenes unfolded in Russia on Tuesday, 11 April, after a plume of ash was sent 20km (12 miles) into the sky when the Shiveluch volcano in Kamchatka erupted.

An area of 108,000 square kilometres was covered in ash within six hours of the eruption, the Kamchatka Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Geophysical Survey said.

The volcano’s last major eruption was in 2007.

“The ash reached 20 kilometres high, the ash cloud moved westwards and there was a very strong fall of ash on nearby villages,” Danila Chebrov, director of the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Survey told Reuters.

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