Students stayed home Tuesday from schools near a volcano after it erupted for the first time in 26 years, belching columns of fire and a plume of smoke that rose to 6,000 feet, authorities said.
No casualties or damages were reported from Monday night's eruption of 6,814-foot Mount Tokachi, about 560 miles north of Tokyo, and a reported mudslide subsided by Tuesday morning.The Asahikawa Weather Obervation Station warned local residents that the volcano could erupt again. Volcanic tremors were continuing, said a meteorologist who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Ashes from Monday's eruption were found in two cities more than 60 miles northeast of the volcano.