Volcanic Ash Covers Village on Kamchatka

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY. October 28. VOSTOK-MEDIA – Klyuchevskaya Sopka and Shiveluch volcanoes blasted huge columns of ash earlier today causing a massive ashfall in Ust-Kamchatsk, a village on Kamchatka peninsula.

Kamchatka Emergency Situations Ministry said the ashfall was so dense that visibility on the roads was less than 15 meters. The layer of volcanic ash has so far reached a couple of inches.

In the past days, Klyuchevsky volcano was spewing ash six miles high. Ash clouds blew westward and southwestward for hundreds of miles. In the early morning hours of Thursday, seismic stations recorded increased activity of Shiveluch volcano, which is 80 kilometers away from the Klyuchevsky.

Satellite view of Shiveluch was obscured by low clouds, but scientists suggested, citing data from the seismic stations, that on Thursday morning Shiveluch blasted columns of ash 6.5 miles high.

Shiveluch has by now stopped spewing ash into the air, while the activity of the Klyuchevsky volcano has considerably increased.
The Ust-Kamchatsk community had been warned about the potential ashfall through PA system. Ust-Kamchatsky officials closed schools, most offices and the village roads.

Airports are rerouting a number of flights as the volcanic ash poses a serious threat to plane safety.

Kamchatka Emergency Situations Ministry has issued a volcanic ash advisory urging the local community to stay inside and close tightly the doors and windows, because ash particles may cause poisoning and aggravate some diseases.