Highest volcano in Eurasia spews ash 7.5 kilometres in the air

Satellite images show the ash column spiralling to 7.5 km above sea level, said the Geological Service in Kamchatka.

'Ash is carried to the north-east. The concrete size of the ash plume is unknown since a large area near the volcano is covered in thick clouds,' said a statement.

So far there are no reports about volcanic ash eruptions in settlements of the Ust-Kamchatsky district, where the volcano is located.

The Klyuchevskoy, also called Klyuchevskaya Sopka, is located 360 km north-west of regional capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the extreme east of Russia.

The nearest town, Klyuchi, is home to about 5,000 people. The volcano rises 4,750 metres above sea level.

It is one of 29 active volcanoes on the Kamchatka peninsula.