PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, August 5 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's northernmost active volcano churned out ash to a height of up to five kilometers (three miles) in the country's Far East, local Emergencies Ministry’s department reported on Monday.
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.
“The cloud of ash moved in the eastern direction from the volcano having bypassed residential areas at the distance of some 50 kilometers [31 miles],” 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.
