Foreign Affairs

Russia

The eruption of the Shiveluch volcano in Kamtchatka generates a 10-kilometer high ash cloud

Air traffic alert, schools closed in the region

11/04/2023

The eruption of Shiveluch volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's far east, which has been going on since the early hours of Tuesday, has generated a 10-kilometer-high ash column that threatens air traffic. This was reported by the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) which issued a code red Vona (Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation) where it is observed that at any time ash emissions up to 15 kilometers high could occur.

The cloud generated by the eruption, measuring 400 kilometers by 270 kilometers, has moved to the southwest, explains the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and continues to extend.

"The ongoing activity could affect international and local air traffic," the KVERT said. Local authorities - says the head of the municipal region of Ust-Kamchatsky Oleg Bondarenko - have closed schools and ordered residents in nearby villages to stay indoors. Among the largest and most active volcanoes in Kamchatka, it is estimated that Shiveluch has had 10 eruptions in the last 60 thousand years. The last large one in 2007.