CRISISBOOM

Dome of lava is seen at a eruptive crater at Shinmoedake peak between Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures January 31, 2011. More than 1,000 people in southern Japan have been urged to evacuate as a volcano picked up its activities, spewing ashes and small rocks into air and disrupting airline operations, a municipal official said on Monday. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

TOKYO, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) — A volcano located on a mountain range on the island of Kyushu, southwest Japan, erupted for the second time Tuesday in an explosion local officials said was five times bigger than the one last Wednesday.

The eruption sent an enormous plume of gas, ash and rocks shooting as high as 2,000 meters into the air and the blast smashed windows in hotels and offices as far away as eight kilometers, local reports said.

As yet no deaths have been reported as a result of the eruption, although one women was cut by shattered glass and felled trees caused by the blast have been hindering traffic in the region, local officials said.

Following the latest blast, the Japan Meteorological Agency raised the alert level from Read more…