Powerful eruptions at a volcano in southern Japan spewed ash thousands of metres into the air Wednesday, as authorities warned locals not to approach the mountain.
"The plume reached the height of 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) for the first time since April 3, 2011" following a total of 29 eruptions at Mount Shinmoedake, Japan's weather agency said in a statement.
The volcano, which featured in the 1967 James Bond film "You Only Live Twice", has been grumbling since Thursday.
But on Wednesday and the previous day, the volcano produced so-called "explosive" eruptions, which also feature air blasts.
Footage captured by the Meteorological Agency showed lava and thick grey smoke rising from the mountain around midnight Wednesday.
People were ordered to stay away from the volcano as major ash deposits spread from the crater, the agency said.
There have been no injuries reported as a result of the volcanic activity.
Japan, with scores of active volcanoes, sits on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire" where a large proportion of the world's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded.
In January, a soldier from the country's Self-Defense Forces was killed and several other people injured after an eruption near a popular ski resort in northwest of Tokyo.
On September 27, 2014, Japan suffered its deadliest eruption in almost 90 years when Mount Ontake, in central Nagano prefecture, burst unexpectedly to life.
An estimated 63 people were killed in the shock eruption which occurred as the peak was packed with hikers out to see the region's spectacular autumn colours.
NASA satellite spots erupting Japanese volcano
Washington (UPI) Mar 7, 2018 –
As the ash plume from Shinmoedake continues to rise high into the atmosphere, new images from NASA offer a bird's-eye view of the erupting volcano.
Earlier this week, NASA's Aqua satellite and its spectrometer, MODIS, captured a false-color image of the erupting volcano on Japan's Mount Kirishima. The image shows the ash plume erupting from Shinmoedake and being blown south and east across the Japanese island of Kyushu.
Shinmoedake has erupted several times in recent decades — in 2017, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 1991. The most recent eruption forced the grounding of several dozen airline flights.
The latest reports suggest the ash plume has risen nearly two miles above the volcanic crater. The eruption that began Tuesday morning has also spewed several large volcanic rocks down the mountain side.
While no reported flows have breached the rim of the volcanic crater, volcanic activity is expected to continue. The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned that pyroclastic flows could extend as far as two miles from the crater.
