The mountain was still spewing smoke and ash into the air later Thursday night.The Japan Meteorological Agency raised the alert level for Ioyama to 3, and warned of falling rocks and pyroclastic flows within two kilometers of the crater.The volcano last erupted in 1768. Credit: Japan Meteorological Agency via Storyful CLOSE

A handout video grab taken from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) live camera website shows the eruption of Mount Io in Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, April 19, 2018. Japan, with scores of active volcanoes, sits on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire” where a large proportion of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded.
Mount Iō in northern Japan erupts for the first time in 250 years, together with nearby Mount Kirishima (USA Today)(Click Lancashire)