Volcano erupts, ash spewing on Russian peninsula

MOSCOW - Towering clouds of ash and glowing lava are spewing from two volcanoes on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula and scientists say major eruptions could be on the way.

The peninsula, which extends into the Pacific Ocean about 6,600 kilometers east of Moscow, is one of the world s most concentrated areas of geothermal activity, with about 30 active volcanoes.

The news reports said that there was a new activity after a strong earthquake on Saturday.

The Russian Academy of Sciences vulcanology institute said that as many as 10 explosions an hour were recorded at Klyuchevskaya Sopka, which is the tallest active volcano in the world at 4,754 meters.

Lava flows and ash emissions are also coming from the Shiveluch volcano, the institute said.

Kamchatka is sparsely populated. The town of Klyuchi, with about 5,000 people, lies between the two volcanoes, 30 -- 50 kilometers from each.

The volcanoes are located about 450 kilometers from the peninsula's only major city, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.