MOSCOW, October 24 (RIA Novosti) — Japan’s Seismological Agency has registered signs of increased activity of the Ioyama volcano, located close to a nuclear power plant in the mountainous Kyushu island, Reuters reported on Friday.
"There is an increase in activity that under certain circumstances could even lead to a small scale eruption, but it is not in danger of an imminent, major eruption," a Japanese official said.
Minor tremors were reported on Friday morning. Soon after, Japanese officials gave notice of a potential volcanic eruption. The warning is especially important for hikers, as Mount Kirishima is reported to be very popular for tourists.
The alert level was recently set to the second lowest level, indicating that the site constitutes potential danger. The situation is further complicated by the presence of the nearby Sendai nuclear plant, a serious danger in case of a major volcano eruption.
A month earlier, the catastrophic Mount Ontake volcanic eruption killed 57 people. The disaster was not accompanied by any previous signs of seismic activity which could have warned Japanese authorities about the impending catastrophe, the Independent reported.
