Page 2 - Volcano

Some airlines suspend flights in Mexico due to ash and smoke from Volcano

Many airlines in Mexico suspended flights due to ash and smoke emanating from a volcano and advised travellers to stay informed through official airport channels

Indonesia evacuates about 6,500 on island of Flores after volcano spews ash

Indonesia has evacuated about 6,500 people on the island of Flores after Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano spewed thick clouds of brownish ash for the past days, authorities said on Monday. No casualties or major damage have been reported so far. The eruptions in East Nusa Tenggara province are part of hot gas spills that have become more frequent in recent days. The 1,584-meter (5,197 foot) mountain is one of the twin volcanoes the Lewotobi Laki-laki and Lewotobi Perempuan in the Flores Timur district. The volcano has erupted 40 times since Sunday, with columns of hot clouds rising 500-1,500 meters (1,600-4,900 feet) into the air. Residents in nearby villages were taken in by relatives or brought to evacuation centers as authorities raised the volcano's alert status to the highest level last Tuesday. Officials urge the local community, as well as visitors and tourists, to stay away from a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) radius around the eruption zone and be aware of the potential for co

Volcano erupts in southwest Iceland, send lava flowing towards settlement

A volcano has erupted in southwestern Iceland, sending semi-molten rock spewing toward a nearby settlement for the second time in less than a month. The eruption on Sunday morning came after a swarm of earthquakes near the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. The community was evacuated overnight, Iceland's RUV television reported. Lava is flowing a few hundred metres north of the town, this is 400 to 500 metres,' Kristn Jnsdttir from the Icelandic Meteorological Office told Iceland's RUV television. Lava flows towards Grindavik. Residents of Grindavik were previously evacuated from their homes in November and had to stay away from the town for six weeks following a series of earthquakes and an eventual volcanic eruption. They were allowed to return on December 22. Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, averages an eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokul

Indonesia's Mount Marapi erupts again, leads to evacuations, no casualties

Indonesia's Mount Marapi erupted again on Sunday, spewing smoke and ash high into the air, but no casualties were reported. The Marapi Volcano Observation Post in West Sumatra province recorded an eruption with an ash column about 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) high from its peak, followed by ash rain. Sprays of ash from the eruption were seen blanketing roads and vehicles in nearby villages. At least 100 residents have been evacuated since Friday after Indonesian authorities raised the alert level of the volcano from Level 2 to Level 3, or the second-highest level, on Wednesday. Marapi is known for sudden eruptions that are difficult to predict because they are not caused by a deep movement of magma, which sets off tremors that register on seismic monitors. Its eruption in early December shot thick columns of ash as high as 3 kilometers (more than 9,800 feet) that killed 24 climbers and injured several others who were caught by a surprise weekend eruption. About 1,400 people live on .

More bodies found after sudden eruption of Indonesia's Mount Marapi

Rescuers searching the hazardous slopes of Indonesia's Mount Marapi volcano found the last body of climbers who were caught by a surprise weekend eruption, raising the number of confirmed dead to 23, officials said Wednesday. About 75 climbers started their way up the nearly 2,900-metre mountain in Agam district of West Sumatra province on Saturday and became stranded. Some 52 climbers were rescued after the initial eruption Sunday, and 11 others were initially confirmed dead. New eruptions on Monday and Tuesday spewed more hot ash as high as 800 metres into the air, reducing visibility and temporarily halting search and recovery operations, said Abdul Malik, chief of the Padang Search and Rescue Agency. The bodies of two climbers were located on Monday and nine more on Tuesday, the National Search and Rescue Agency said. West Sumatra's Police Chief Suharyono said the body of the last climber was found early Wednesday, just a few metres from the eruption site, bringing the death to

Indonesia: Marapi volcano erupts again, halting search for missing climbers

Indonesian authorities halted the search for 12 climbers after Mount Marapi volcano erupted again Monday, spewing a new burst of hot ash as high as 800 meters (2,620 feet) into the air, officials said. The bodies of 11 climbers were recovered earlier in the day but attempts to move them were hindered by the renewed eruption, West Sumatra's Search and Rescue Agency head Abdul Malik said. The search operation would resume once conditions improved, he added. A video released by the agency showed rescuers evacuating an injured climber on a stretcher off the mountain and into a waiting ambulance to be taken to hospital. Marapi initially erupted on Sunday spewing clouds of hot ash. The volcano has stayed at the third highest of four alert levels since 2011, a level indicating above-normal volcanic activity, prohibiting climbers and villagers within 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) of the peak, said Hendra Gunawan, the head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation. This m

11 bodies recovered, 22 missing after volcanic eruption in Indonesia

The bodies of 11 climbers were recovered Monday after a furious eruption of the Mount Marapi volcano as Indonesian rescuers searched for at least 22 others reportedly missing. Mount Marapi in Agam district in West Sumatra province spewed thick columns of ash as high as 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) into the sky in a sudden eruption Sunday and hot ash clouds spread several miles (kilometers). Villages and nearby towns were blanketed by tons of volcanic debris. About 75 climbers started their way up the nearly 2,900-meter (9,480-foot) mountain on Saturday and became stranded. Eight of those rescued Sunday were rushed to hospitals with burn wounds and one also had a broken limb, said Hari Agustian, an official at the local Search and Rescue Agency in Padang, the provincial capital. West Sumatra's Search and Rescue Agency head Abdul Malik said rescuers on Monday morning found 11 bodies of climbers as they searched for those who still missing and rescued three others. The evacuation proces

Iceland clears town near Blue Lagoon due to volcanic eruption risk

Authorities have been on alert after weeks of tremors indicated a magma intrusion is forming underground close to Grindavik on the Reykjanes peninsula

String of volcanic tremors raises fears of mass evacuations in Italy

Hundreds of small tremors have shaken a densely populated volcanic area west of the Italian city of Naples in recent weeks, pushing the government to quickly redraft mass evacuation plans, even though experts don't see an imminent risk of eruption. In the latest of a long string of tremors, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake hit the region of Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) Monday. The region is home to a caldera, a cauldron-shaped depression left behind by the eruption of a very large volcano. The one in Campi Flegri is the largest in Europe and last erupted in 1538. A new explosion would put half a million inhabitants at risk. Monday's tremor followed a 4.2-magnitude quake recorded last week, the strongest in the area for 40 years, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Experts at INGV have warned authorities and residents that tremors could intensify in the near future as seismic activity continues. However, they have clarified that the intensity of

Tourists received no safety warnings before New Zealand volcano killed 22

Tourists received no health and safety warnings before they landed on New Zealand's most active volcano ahead of a 2019 eruption that killed 22 people, a prosecutor said Tuesday. There were 47 people on White Island, the tip of an undersea volcano also known by its Indigenous Maori name Whakaari, when superheated steam erupted on December 9. Most of the 25 people who survived were severely burned. The island's owners, brothers Andrew, James and Peter Buttle, their company Whakaari Management Ltd. and tour operators I.D. Tours NZ Ltd. and Tauranga Tourism Services Ltd. went on trial Tuesday in Auckland District Court for allegedly failing to adequately protect tourists and staff. Prosecutor Kristy McDonald said in opening the prosecution case that the eruption at the popular tourist destination was not predictable but was foreseeable. The 20 tourists and two tour guides who died were given no warning of the risks, she said. They were not given the opportunity to make any informed .

Eruption of Philippines' most active volcano may last for months: Expert

The 2,460-metre, cone-shaped Mayon volcano began erupting on June 8, while its alert level was raised to 3 on a scale of 5

Lava pours from Mayon volcano, thousands warned to be ready to flee

Lava poured from the crater of the Philippines' most active volcano Monday, prompting officials to warn tens of thousands of villagers to be prepared to flee if the gentle eruption turns into a violent and life-threatening explosion. More than 13,000 people have left the mostly poor farming communities within a 6-kilometre radius of Mayon volcano's crater in mandatory evacuations since volcanic activity increased last week. But an unspecified number of residents remain within the permanent danger zone below Mayon, an area long declared off-limits to people but where generations have lived and farmed because they have nowhere else to go. With the volcano beginning to expel lava Sunday night, the high-risk zone around Mayon may be expanded should the eruption turn violent, said Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Bacolcol said if that happens, people in any expanded danger zone should be prepared to evacuate to emergency shelters. "Wh

Hawaii Kilauea Volcanic Eruption after 3 months break, details inside

According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory of the U.S. Geological Survey, early morning webcam images from Kilauea's summit already showed a glow

Indonesia's Merapi volcano erupts, releasing lava 24 times in a day

Indonesia's Merapi volcano erupted, releasing lava 24 times to the southwest throughout the day, said the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG)

Earthquakes at 2 Alaska volcanoes could signal eruption: Officials

A second volcano in remote Alaska is experiencing elevated earthquake activity this week, signaling an increased potential for eruption, officials said. Earthquake activity near Takawangha Volcano increased over the past 48 hours and are continuing, Alaska Volcano Observatory officials said in a news release Thursday. That volcano is west of Anchorage in the western Aleutian islands and about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Tanaga Volcano, which scientists said earlier this week had seen intensified earthquake activity. The Alaska Volcano Observatory raised the alert level to advisory status for Tanaga Volcano late Tuesday after the quakes became vigorous. The observatory on Thursday raised the alert level to watch status for Takawangha Volcano. Analysts at the observatory continue to monitor the situation closely. Up to several earthquakes per minute are occurring under Tanaga Island, where both volcanoes are located, the observatory said. The largest quake over the previous 24 hours

Semeru volcano erupts in Indonesia's Java island, residents evacuated

Semeru volcano on Indonesia's Java island erupted on Sunday, spewing a 1.5-km high ash column, authorities said

Indonesia's Mt Semeru unleashes lava river in new eruption today

Indonesia's highest volcano on its most densely populated island released searing gas clouds and rivers of lava in its latest eruption on Sunday. Monsoon rains eroded and finally collapsed the lava dome atop 3,676-metre (12,060-foot) Mount Semeru, causing the eruption, according to National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari, citing information from the Vulcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Agency at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. Several villages were blanketed with falling ash, blocking out the sun, but no casualties have been reported. Thick columns of ash were blasted more than 1,500 metres (nearly 4,000 feet) into the sky, while searing gas and lava flowed down Semeru's slopes, traveling toward a nearby river. People were advised to stay 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) from the crater's mouth, and keep off the southeastern sector area along the Besuk Kobokan river located about 13 kilometres (8 miles) from the crater. Several hundred people were

Ecuador volcano registers new activity with gas emissions, ash fall

Gas and water vapour emissions, a low level of ash and an increase in seismic activity were recordedat the Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador, according to officials

2 volcanoes rumble into action in Russia; major eruptions expected

Towering clouds of ash and glowing lava are spewing from two volcanoes on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula and scientists say major eruptions could be on the way. The peninsula, which extends into the Pacific Ocean about 6,600 kilometres (4,000 miles) east of Moscow, is one of the world's most concentrated areas of geothermal activity, with about 30 active volcanoes. The sudden new activity followed a strong earthquake on Saturday, news reports said. The Russian Academy of Sciences' vulcanology institute said that at Klyuchevskaya Sopka, which at 4,754 metres (nearly 16,000 feet) is Eurasia's tallest active volcano, as many as 10 explosions an hour were being recorded. Lava flows and ash emissions also are coming from the Shiveluch volcano, the institute said. Kamchatka is sparsely populated. The town of Klyuchi, with about 5,000 people, lies between the two volcanoes, 30-50 kilometres (20-30 miles) from each. The volcanoes are about 450 kilometres (270 miles) from the peninsula's on

Volcanic eruption in Japan forces evacuations in two towns of Kyushu

Dozens of people have evacuated two towns on Japan's main southern island of Kyushu where a volcano spewed ash and large rocks into the nighttime sky. Large rocks fell as far as 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the Sakurajima volcano Sunday night in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima. Footage on Japan's NHK public television showed orange flames flashing near the crater and dark smoke with ash billowing high above the mountaintop. Japan's Meteorological Agency raised the eruption alert to the highest level of five and advised 51 residents in two towns facing the volcano to leave their homes. By Monday morning, 33 of them left their homes for a nursing care facility in a safer part of the region, according to Kagoshima city. NHK said others subject to evacuation might have evacuated to other locations. We will put the people's lives first and do our utmost to assess the situation and respond to any emergency, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki told reporters. He calle