quote:
yup:
Japan volcanic eruption
Several hours earlier and more than 5,000 kilometers away, a Japanese soldier was killed and several other people injured as a result of a volcanic eruption near a mountain ski resort.
Dozens of skiers were struck by flying rocks caused by the midday eruption of Mount Kusatsu-Shirane, including a group of six members of Japan's Self Defense Force who were taking part in a training mission. The eruption triggered an avalanche that buried them under mounds of snow for a few hours until they were rescued.
The volcano knocked out power at the resort, which left at least 80 other skiers stranded at a gondola station at the top of the mountain for several hours before they were rescued by helicopter. A few skiers were reportedly injured when flying rocks shattered the glass of their gondola.
Philippines volcano
In the Philippines, authorities have raised the alert level after several days of increasingly intense activity at its most active volcano. The 2,642-meter tall Mount Mayon, located more than 300 kilometers from Manila, gushed lava fountains as much as 700 meters in the air above its crater Tuesday, followed by ash clouds reaching three (3) kilometers in the air Tuesday. The volcano first began belching red-hot lava, ash and superheated gas and volcanic debris nearly two weeks ago.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology has raised its alert level for Mayon to four on a scale of five, signifying hazardous eruption is imminent. The agency also expanded the danger zone surrounding the volcano to eight kilometers. As many as 40,000 residents have been forced to evacuate to safer ground as Mayon becomes more and more unstable.