A volcano eruption in Japan has left a city covered in ash. The Sakurajima volcano erupted on Sunday afternoon, turning Kagoshima into an ash city.
Those of Kagoshima, a city of 600,000 people, were forced to wear masks and raincoats and use umbrellas as ash fell around them from a volcano that erupted six miles away. Drivers had to turn on their headlights as they drove through snow-like conditions. Train operators had to stop service temporarily so that ash could be removed from the tracks, the Associated Press reports.
According to Kyodo News, there were no injuries related to the eruption. The source also said the smoke plume was about three miles high and there was lava that flowed more than half a mile from the volcano.
TV stations showed Kagoshima residents wearing masks as they sprinkled water and swept up the ash. Garbage trucks and water sprinklers were deployed by the city to start the cleanup effort.
Japan is known to have frequent seismic activity as it is located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire. The Sakurajima volcano erupts often, so the Japan Meteorological Agency has an ongoing warning for people to stay away from it. This was about the 50th eruption for the volcano this year. The volcano is located about six miles from Kagoshima city.
"The smoke was a bit dramatic, but we are kind of used to it," a city official who requested anonymity said.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, there are no signs of a larger eruption for Sakurajima, but similar eruptions may occur.
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