Volcano in Russia's Far East erupts for first time in centuries
Images released by state media showed dense clouds of ash rising above the volcano.
An aerial view of the eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano (Artem Sheldr/AP)
'The plume is spreading eastward from the volcano toward the Pacific Ocean. There are no populated areas along its path, and no ashfall has been recorded in inhabited localities,' Kamchatka's emergencies ministry wrote on Telegram during the eruption.
The eruption was accompanied by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake and prompted a tsunami warning for three areas of Kamchatka. The tsunami warning was later lifted by Russia's Ministry for Emergency Services.
'This is the first historically confirmed eruption of the Krasheninnikov volcano in 600 years,' Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
However, the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Programme, based in the US, lists Krasheninnikov's last eruption as occurring 475 years ago in 1550.
The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team said late on Sunday that the volcano's activity was decreasing but 'moderate explosive activity' could continue.
The eruption occurred after a huge earthquake struck Russia's Far East early on Wednesday, an 8.8-magnitude tremor that caused small tsunami waves in Japan and Alaska and prompted warnings for Hawaii, North and Central America and Pacific islands south towards New Zealand.
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