Volcano in southwestern Japan stops erupting, alert level retained

A volcano in southwestern Japan stopped erupting on Friday, after spewing a plume of ash the previous day for the first time in 250 years, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.But the agency retained the alert level of 3 on a scale of 5, as fumarolic gas continued to be observed at Mt. Io, one of the Mt. Kirishima group of volcanos straddling Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures. No one was reported injured, the local government said.Following the eruption of the 1,317-meter volcano in Ebino, Miyazaki Prefecture, the agency restricted access to the mountain and its vicinity and raised the ale…READ FULL ARTICLE