Shiveluch volcano erupts in Russia's Far East

MOSCOW

The Shiveluch volcano erupted in Russia's Far East region of Kamchatka on Tuesday, throwing ash columns up to a height of 20 kilometers (12 miles).

"The eruption of the Shiveluch volcano continues. According to satellite data, it threw another ash column, the height of which was about 12 thousand meters (39,370 feet) above sea level," the Far Eastern branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences said in a statement.

According to the service, four maximum eruption phases have been recorded so far, the maximum height of the ash column over the Shiveluch volcano reached 20 km (12 mi) above sea level, and the size of the cloud-plume ranged from 250 km (155 mi) to 400 km (248 mi).

There are no settlements near the volcano but some people suffered from the volcanic ash, transferred to residential areas by the wind, and authorities closed some highways near the volcano and alerted about the danger the eruption may cause for the flights in the area.

One of the largest volcanoes in Kamchatka and with an altitude of 3,283 m (10,771 ft), Shiveluch includes three main structures -- the Old Shiveluch volcano, the ancient caldera, and the active Young Shiveluch volcano.