North Kuril Ebeko volcano spews ash twice in past 24 hours

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK. Feb 5 (Interfax) - The Ebeko volcano on the North Kuril Island of Paramushir spewed ash twice within the past 24 hours, most recently to an altitude of two kilometers, the press service for the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry's branch in the Sakhalin region said.

The ash plume is billowing over 5 kilometers southwest, but there has been no ash fall in Severo-Kurilsk (the only populated locality on the North Kuril Islands), the press service said.

As reported, Ebeko spewed ash 1.5 kilometers above sea level on Monday morning.

The 1,156-kilometers-tall Ebeko volcano is located in the northern part of the Vernadsky Ridge, seven kilometers from Severo-Kurilsk. It is a complex stratovolcano with several craters on top. The volcano erupted in 2012 and then remained dormant until October 2016.

Aviation color code orange has been declared for Ebeko, which means ash could endanger low-flying aircraft.