TOKYO: A volcano has erupted in central Japan, sending a large plume of ash high into the sky and prompting a warning to climbers and others to avoid the area.
Japanese broadcaster NHK says there are reports of injuries, but no word on their severity.
Mt. Ontake erupted shortly before noon on a bright sunny Saturday. The 3,067-meter (10,062-foot) peak sits on the border of Nagano and Gifu prefectures on the spine of mountains that runs down Honshu, Japan's main island.
A YouTube video shown on NHK shows climbers moving quickly away from the peak as the plume starts coming out above them.
Japan's meteorological agency raised the alert level for Mt. Ontake to three on a scale of one to five. It warned people to stay away from the mountain.
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