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Russia's Kamchatka volcanoes spew giant ash clouds
(AP) – 1 hour ago
MOSCOW (AP) — Volcanic eruptions on Russia's far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula have tossed massive ash clouds into the air, forcing flights to divert and blanketing a town with ashes.
The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry's branch in Kamchatka said Thursday that ash clouds from both the Shiveluch and Kluchevskaya volcanoes are disrupting flights in the area.
It says visibility in the Russian town of Ust-Kamchatsk has been reduced to a few feet (meters) and a thick layer of ash is covering the ground. It says the town's 5,000 residents aren't in danger but urged them to stay indoors and tightly close doors and windows.
Vulcanologist Sergei Senyukov told Rossiya 24 television that ash clouds have soared up to 10 kilometers (33,000 feet) into the air and were spreading east across the Pacific Ocean.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Spectacular volcanic eruption in Russia
Thu Oct 28 2010 15:36:50
A volcano has erupted in a remote region of eastern Russia, blasting a cloud of ash six miles up into the sky.
Shiveluch is one of 29 active volcanoes on the Kamchatka peninsula, an area close to the Pacific "ring of fire".
Ash-fall from the volcano has covered the settlement of Ust-Kamchatsk, situated 55 miles away.
Several inches of ash had fallen on the town, leading the authorities to close off all roads leading to the settlement.
The Shiveluch volcano became visibly active on Thursday, officials said.
The Kamchatka branch of the Russian Geophysical Service also said that the nearby Klyuchevaya Sopka Volcano, had also started blowing smoke and ash into the air. Activity in both volcanoes however has now lulled.
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