SHIVELUCH SPEWS ASH UP TO 5.5 KILOMETRES INTO THE AIR

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, SEPTEMBER 18 /SRNA/ - The Shiveluch volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula has begun spewing ash up to an altitude of 5.5 kilometres, the regional department of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said.

The statement reminds that the volcano is 3,282 metres high.

According to the department, an orange aviation alert has been issued.

TASS reports that the ash is spreading eastward, but that, due to a change in wind direction, it could fall on the settlements of Ust-Kamchatsk and Krutoberegovo in the Ust-Kamchatsky District.