Ash column over Russia's Bezymyanny volcano reaches 11 km

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY. April 24 (Interfax) - The Bezymyanny volcano erupting in eastern Kamchatka spewed ash 11 kilometers above sea level on Thursday morning, the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) of the Volcanology and Seismology Institute of the Far Eastern branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences said.

"An ash cloud of 36 to 26 kilometers reaching 11 kilometers above sea level keeps moving north-north-eastward of the volcano," the team said.

The highest aviation color code, red, has been designated to the volcano.

According to the team, the strong explosive eruption of the Bezymyanny volcano began at 11:10 a.m. on April 24. The volcano may spew new ash clouds up to 15 kilometers above sea level any time.

Earlier this morning, Bezymyanny emitted an ash cloud eight kilometers above sea level, following the emission of three ash clouds of up to six kilometers above sea level in the small hours of Thursday.

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