Volcano smoke forces air traffic reroute in eastern Russia

May 31, 2011, 13:43 GMT

Moscow - Smoke and ash pumped thousands of metres into the air by a restless Russian volcano forced rerouting of international air traffic, officials in the far eastern province of Kamchatka said Tuesday.

Intensifying activity inside the volcano Shiveluch, which is located in the centre of the Pacific Ocean peninsula Kamchatka, had thrown up a column of smoke, gas and ash more than 7 kilometres high, according to a statement from Russia's National Geophysical Service (RNES).

Although the volcano was not actively erupting, increasing pressure inside the volcano in recent weeks has triggered low-level earthquakes in the vicinity and thrown stones from the crater, it reported.

The RNES on Tuesday issued an orange rating for the volcano, one step below its most dangerous red rating.

The substantial smoke cloud and potential for an actual eruption make the volcano unsafe for tourists and aircraft to approach, Interfax reported.

Russia's remote Kamchatka peninsula is adjacent to a major air corridor for aircraft traveling between Japan, South Korea, and North America.

The nearest inhabited district to the volcano, the town Klyuchi, some 50 kilometres to the south-east, was not evacuated, according to news reports.

Shiveluch, one of Russia's largest and most active volcanoes, saw its last catastrophic eruption in 1956.

The volcano has emitted smoke and gas regularly since then. Its activity intensified in May.

Russia's Kamchatka peninsula is one of the world's most active seismic zones. The region contains some 150 volcanoes.