Volcano erupts, showers Kagoshima City with rocks and ash

[ardo]

Thursday, July 26, 2012, 3:18 PM

A volcanic eruption spewed flames into the southern Japanese sky and blanketed a nearby city with ash.

Debris filled the air in Kagoshima City, wreaking havoc with transportation, forcing residents to wear facemasks and prompting extensive cleanup efforts.

The Mount Sakurajima volcano is in a state of near-perpetual eruption, with more than 600 minor explosions this year, the BBC reported. But when it started spewing ash Tuesday at 7:15 p.m., residents knew it wasn't a trivial flare-up. The eruption sent 18-inch rocks more than a mile through the air, the Huffington Post reported.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wor...by-kagoshima-city-rocks-ash-article-1.1122488

Japan's meteorological agency reported that this was the largest eruption since 2009, and that another volcanic eruption of this magnitude is only a matter of time.

http://www.photovolcanica.com/VolcanoInfo/Sakurajima/

Residents couldn't see more than a few feet in front of themselves, ITN reported.

After the dust settled, people spent hours in the streets with brooms, sweeping away the ash. Many residents wore white masks to avoid breathing in potentially harmful dust and fumes.

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[gyoza ramen & a beer]

Couldn't they try to plug the volcano by flying C-130 cargo planes filled with politicians into the crater?

There's three or four hundred around here I'd be willing to donate. Like, we could start an "Assholes for Blowholes" campaign...

Sheesh, how many of these disasters is Japan supposed to take? :notagain:

 

[isityours]

sakurajima only 'erupted' once during the year i lived there but it was very minor. i assume that the "600 a year..." includes ash too. i remember coming out of a cd shop on my way to work one day and seeing people with umbrellas. i thought it had started raining as the sky was also dark obviously until i got a lung-full of the ash.
depending on the wind the ash may only affect a small area of the city at any one time but i remember someone telling me that "it always erupts when the wind is blowing toward the city". as you can see from the photo, the 'island' is right in the middle of the harbour. it used to be an island but joined itself to the mainland on the opposite side during another big one 40 years ago maybe?? that time the ask traveled as far as kumamoto, 200km north of kagoshima. it is a really nice city.

 

[isityours]

...C-130 cargo planes filled with politicians into the crater?...

shouldnt that be "Osprey's filled with politicians..."?

 

[TravelingWind]

geez... Japan can't get a break

due to how frequent their disasters are I'm half expecting a giant monster to curb stomp osaka while ultraman beats the shit out of godzilla in the rubble of kyoto

 

[tylersailer]

geez... Japan can't get a break

due to how frequent their disasters are I'm half expecting a giant monster to curb stomp osaka while ultraman beats the shit out of godzilla in the rubble of kyoto

Haha, I like your joke. Hollywood should make that movie now.

Kagoshima or Sakurajima island is quite popular for its eruption so it is not that serious "disaster" I think. I wonder why BBC picks up this topic all of sudden.

Anyway, great place to visit Kagoshima that is. Good fish, Good Sake/Shochu. And pork if you like.

 

[prophetomega]

Couldn't they try to plug the volcano by flying C-130 cargo planes filled with politicians into the crater?

There's three or four hundred around here I'd be willing to donate. Like, we could start an "Assholes for Blowholes" campaign...

LOL andalaugh: your comment made my day.

 

[roceil123]

Seen a lot of documentary about volcano to know where this is going.

 

[megatroll]

Couldn't they try to plug the volcano by flying C-130 cargo planes filled with politicians into the crater?

There's three or four hundred around here I'd be willing to donate. Like, we could start an "Assholes for Blowholes" campaign...

BEST COMMENT EVER.

 

[kraidazen]

Couldn't they try to plug the volcano by flying C-130 cargo planes filled with politicians into the crater?

There's three or four hundred around here I'd be willing to donate. Like, we could start an "Assholes for Blowholes" campaign...

you need more politicans ? erfectplan:

 

[gyoza ramen & a beer]

you need more politicans ?

Thanks, kraidzen, but the more I thought about it I realized that plugging the volcano with hundreds or, even, a couple thousand politicians wasn't a good idea because the explosion that would result from that many flaming gas-bags catching fire at the same time would not only destroy the mountain but would level every tree, light-post, house, building, and bridge within ten kilometers.

[and that's enough of me cracking wise about Mt. Sakurajima and what the people of Kagoshima City may be facing but, gawd, I loathe politicians y: :nosepick: :spit: ]