Japan warns of possible eruption at volcano

TOKYO, Oct 24 (KUNA) -- The Japan Meteorological Agency on Friday issued a warning of a minor eruption of Mt. Ioyama in the country's southern region after detecting increased volcanic activity in the volcano. The agency raised the alert level on a scale of five for the 1317-meter mountain from 1 to 2, which means that the area around the crater is dangerous.
The announcement prompted the local governments to impose a one-kilometer travel ban around the crater and urge climbers to get down from the mountain.
Mt. Ioyama is in the Kirishima mountain range, which is a popular destination for hikers. The agency said volcanic tremors have been observed at Mt. Ioyama since last December, including a tremor lasting seven minutes late August. The sudden eruption of Mt. Ontake in central Japan on Sept. 27 killed at least 57 hikers in the country's worst postwar volcanic disaster. (end) mk.gta