This handout video grab taken and released on Oct 20, 2021 by the Japan Meteorological Agency shows an eruption of Mt Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu. (HANDOUT / JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY / AFP)
TOKYO – The Japan Meteorological Agency on Thursday raised its volcanic alert level for Mt Aso in southwestern Japan to level 3 out of 5, after it detected an increase in volcanic tremors in the morning.
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned people not to approach Mt Aso, warning of the danger of a volcanic eruption that could trigger falling rocks and pyroclastic flows
The agency has warned that falling rocks and pyroclastic flows could occur within a two-km radius from Mt Aso's craters.
The weather agency's rising of its warning on its five-tier scale to level 3, means there is a possibility that a volcanic eruption that could seriously impact the surrounding areas could occur.
Those in the vicinity of the mountain in Kumamoto Prefecture need to be increasingly vigilant when the weather agency notches up its warning level.
The agency has warned that falling rocks and pyroclastic flows could occur within a two-km radius from Mt Aso's craters.
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The JMA's latest warning follows one of the volcano's craters erupting on Oct 20, which saw the alert level raised to level 3.
On Nov 18, the alert level was lowered to level 2, with the JMA urging people to keep their distance from the volcano's crater.