PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, June 28 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's northernmost active volcano churned out ash to a height of up to 7,000 meters (almost 23,000 feet) in the country's Far East, local Emergencies Ministry’s department reported on Friday.
The 3,283-meter (10,771 feet) Shiveluch volcano increased activity in May 2009 and has been periodically spewing ash from three to ten kilometers.
“Considering the direction and the force of wind, the cloud of ash moved to the southwest and dissipated without having reached residential areas,” the department said in a statement.
Although the current eruption poses no immediate threat to nearby settlements, the ensuing ash fallouts could be hazardous to health and the environment.
The clouds of volcanic ash could also pose threat to air traffic because the tiny particles cause problems with aircraft engine turbines.
There are more than 150 volcanoes on Kamchatka and up to 30 of them are active.
