Japanese Island to Be Evacuated after Volcano Erupts

A pyroclastic flow of super-heated gas and rock flowed down the side of Mount Shindake and reached the ocean after the mountain's "explosive" eruption, but officials said there was no danger to human life.

"There was a huge bang and black smoke rose up immediately," Nobuaki Hayashi, an island official, told NHK television, adding that residents were gathering to await evacuation.

One 72-year-old man suffered burns to his face after being caught in the pyroclastic flow, but there were no reports of other injuries among the island's 137 residents, whose only access to the outside world is by boat.

Watchful residents gathered on the roof of an evacuation center, its parking lot packed with cars, as the peak continued to spew out smoke and ash. Ash blanketed part of the mountain's lower slopes and fell on the main harbor, turning it grey.

Smoke billowed some 9,000 meters into the sky and officials warned of the risk of continuing, possibly large-scale eruptions, calling for "extreme caution".

Japan's All Nippon Airways said it would divert some flights to Okinawa and Southeast Asia as a precaution, but didn't plan to cancel any. Japan Airlines (JAL) said it did not have any plans to change any of its flights.

A ferry from Yakushima, the closest neighboring island about one hour sail east, had arrived and aimed to evacuate residents around 3:00 pm (0600 GMT), said Tatsuya Terada, a government official on Yakushima.

"We will need to verify safety conditions and check lists of names, but that's currently the plan," he said.

A Coast Guard ship was standing by off the island, Reuters reported.

Kuchinoerabujima island is about 130 km (70 miles) south of Japan's southernmost main island Kyushu, and roughly 1,000 km (620 miles) southwest of Tokyo.