Japan evacuates island after volcano erupts

A handout picture released by Japan Coast Guard shows residents on Kuchinoerabu Island receiving beverage at a port on Kuchinoerabu Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, 29 May 2015 as they evacuate from the island after a volcano eruption. . EPA

TOKYO, May 29, 2015 (AFP) - A violent volcanic eruption in Japan forced the evacuation of an island on Friday, as a huge column of ash was shot high into the sky.

Footage by the Japan Meteorological Agency captured the moment the plume rocketed from Mount Shindake on the far southern island of Kuchinoerabu.