ASH TRAIL FROM KAMCHATKA VOLCANO HAMPERS AIR TRAFFIC

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, June 21 (RIA Novosti's Oksana Guseva) - The ash trail from the erupting Bezymyanny volcano on Kamchatka (Russian Far East) stretches over 1,500 kilometers to the east into the Pacific Oceans and has already reached the central part of the Aleutian Islands (U.S.), Alexei Ozerov, a senior scientific worker from the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, told RIA Novosti.

According to him, Kamchatka scientists sent a timely warning to airline companies about the ash cloud so that planes could avoid it. Otherwise, the situation might have resulted in accidents.

The satellite photos show airplane routes over the Bering Sea in the area of the ash trail. After the warning, pilots altered their routes.

During the eruption, which started Saturday, columns of ash and gas rose to a height of 10,000 meters. On Sunday, the volcano's activity decreased and columns of steam and gas only reached 600 meters.

The eruptions, which usually do not last long but are considerably powerful, occur once or twice a year. The Bezymyanny (2,869 metres) last erupted January 14-15, 2004.

The eruptions are not dangerous to the population of the peninsula, as the nearest town, Klyuchi, is about 40 kilometers away from the volcano.