Kamchatka's Bezymyanny volcano spews ash 5 km above sea level

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY. July 24 (Interfax) - Kamchatka's Bezymyanny volcano, which is now erupting, spewed ash 5 kilometers above sea level on Wednesday morning, the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Unified Geophysical Service federal research center said.

"The volcano is covered by clouds. Therefore, it is possible to assess the scale of the phenomena based only on seismic data," it said.

An eruption intensification forecast for the Bezymyanny volcano was published the day before, indicating that the volcano could spew ash 6 kilometers above sea level, it said.

"The explosive phase of the eruption process apparently began with weaker discharges, which are expected to intensify shortly. The volcano and the territory neighboring it remain dangerous to visit. The volcano's eastern and southeastern sides are the most dangerous," it said.

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said on Tuesday, citing scientists, that the Bezymyanny volcano is expected to erupt over the coming month, spewing ash up to 15 kilometers above sea level. A pyroclastic flow up to 10 kilometers long may descend southeastward.

Kamchatka's 2,882-meter-tall Bezymyanny, one of the world's most active volcanoes, is located near Klyuchevskaya Sopka, about 40 kilometers from the Klyuchi village in the Ust-Kamchatsk district.