Rocks were launched from Mount Kusatsu-Shirane in Japan’s Gunma Prefecture as black smoke filled the air.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency said: “Based on various measurements, we can say that the mountain appears to have erupted, but we are still trying to confirm facts on the ground.”
The warning level for the peak of Kusatsu-Shirane has been raised to three, this means that people have been advised to refrain from climbing the mountain.
Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga detailed that four people riding a gondola on the slopes of the resort were injured by broken glass.
Local media claimed that as many as 15 people may have been injured by the rocks past out from the active volcano.
Kusatsu-Shirane is a 2160 meter active volcano – it last erupted in December 1983.
Japan is home to 110 active volcanoes – it monitors 47 of them.
More to follow…