Ash from Kamchatka’s Shiveluch Volcano poses threat to aircraft

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, January 16. /TASS/. The Shiveluch volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula on Friday released a plume of ash to an altitude reaching 10 kilometers, the Kamchatka Volcanic Response Team (KVERT) reports, saying an ‘orange’ aviation alert code has been assigned to the volcano. There is no danger of an ash fall in the local settlements, it said. “An ash plume has spread 63 kilometers west of the volcano,” a KVERT officer said, adding that there were no settlements on its way. An ‘orange’ aviation alert code has been assigned to the volcano, second after the highest - red code, warning about the hazard eruptions may pose to aircraft flying on local and international routes. Travel agencies have cautioned against organizing excursions to the area. The Shiveluch is located some 450 kilometers (280) miles to the northeast of the Kamchatka Peninsula’s largest city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchhatsky with the population of over 181,600. However, nearest residential areas are located within the distance of 50 kilometers 931 miles) from the Shiveluch, which had been regularly spewing out ash since 1980s. Read more