Inhabitants evacuated as volcano erupts on Japanese island

Inhabitants on a Japanese island were evacuated as a volcano erupted, throwing clouds of ash up to nine kilometres in the sky.

According to the BBC, most of the 137 residents were evacuated by boat as Mount Shindake, situated in the center of Kuchinoerabu Island, spewed lava. One person incurred minor facial burns from the debris falling from the sky.

The latest eruption is the second after Shindake first broke a 14-year lull since 1980 by erupting last year.

The fire and disaster management agency has pushed the alert level for the island to five, its highest level. However, officials ruled out any threat to human life.

Japan is perched at the junction of several tectonic plates and is one of the world's most seismically active countries.