Hours before a magnitude 7 earthquake shook the ground on Russia’s east coast, a volcano erupted, leaving a nearby town covered in ash.
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According to USA Today, the volcano erupted on the eastern side of Russia at 11:45 a.m. UTC. The natural event caused ash to shoot up 32,800 feet into the air, potentially causing a major impact on both international flights and low-flying aircraft.
However, not long after the volcano eruption, a large earthquake rocked the same area of Russia. That event happened at 7:10 p.m. UTC. It occurred near the east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which is 280 miles away from the Shiveluch volcano.
The intense earthquake ended up triggering a tsunami warming, which has since been lifted. Multiple reports confirm that there was no major damage. However, buildings are being examined.
Un pueblo en la costa oriental de Rusia quedó cubierto de ceniza volcánica tras la erupción del volcán Shiveluch, que ocurrió después de un terremoto el sábado.
— Noticias Telemundo (@TelemundoNews) August 19, 2024
Imágenes muestran a Ust-Kamchatsk, en la península de Kamchatka, cubierto de ceniza. pic.twitter.com/kscJTzf3Hm
The next day, Ust-Kamchatsk, a village on the eastern shore of the Kamchatka Peninsula was coated in a layer of ash. Russian state-run media Zvevda reports that a hazard warning was put in place due to the ash emission.
Per CNN, TASS reported on Sunday that the ash column from the volcano eruption was rising as high as 8 kilometers (5 miles) above sea level. The volcano also released a “gush” of lava. TASS also reported there were no reports of people injured.
It was further reported that the Russian Emergencies Ministry did not issue a tsunami warning due to the tremor. Meanwhile, the US Tsunami Warning System had issued a warning. “Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300km [approx 186 miles] of the epicenter along the coasts of Russia.”
United Airlines Reportedly Diverts Four Tokyo-Bound Flights Following Volcano Eruption in Russia
Meanwhile, Simple Flying reports that United Airlines was forced to divert four flights heading to Tokyo after the volcano eruption in Russia. While two of the flights eventually made it to their final destinations, the other two were canceled.
The affected flights were:
- UA143 from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Narita Airport (NRT)
- UA803 from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Haneda Airport (HND)
- UA79 from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to NRT
- UA131 from EWR to HND
UA143 took off from Denver International Airport at 12:17 local time and was in the air for nearly six hours before changing course. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, was heading west at 39,000 feet above the southern tip of Alaska when it turned around. The flight ended up at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
UA803 took off from Washington Dulles International Airport at 12:23 local time and more than five hours into its journey (over northwest Canada) when it diverted to San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
UA79 left Newark Liberty International Airport at 11:39 local time. It was over Alaska at hour six when it landed at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC). UA131 also diverted to ANC.
Both UA79 and UA803 were able to continue to their destination.