A volcano has sent sent a thick column of ash more than three miles into the air in Russia's far east.

Scientists say the ash plume has travelled as far as 33.5 miles northeast and could result in air travel chaos in and around the site. According to local media, an orange aviation hazard code is now in force. It comes just a day after scientists warned of a possible explosive eruption.

Bezymianny was at one point considered extinct because it had been dormant for around 1,000 years - before a catastrophic explosion rocked the site in 1955.

In April 2023, another huge volcano in Kamchatka turned day to night after an ash cloud spread for hundreds of miles. An area of 41,700 square miles - larger than Scotland and Wales combined - was blanketed in darkness, as ash rose 12 miles into the sky after the Shiveluch volcano erupted. It also triggered a red warning to aviation from the plume, the highest category.

"The ash cloud extends 500 kilometres northwest of Shiveluch and is still growing," said Alexey Ozerov, director of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

It marked the largest ash cloud in at least 60 years, as residents in village Klyuchi, close to the eruption, reported the morning sky turning "pitch dark." One said: "The sun should be shining but is nowhere to be seen.

"The village is under a cloud of ash from the Shiveluch volcano...It's pitch dark...You cannot see anything."

Danila Chebrov, director of the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Survey said the ash reached 20 kilometres high (12 miles). "The ash cloud moved westwards and there was a very strong fall of ash on nearby villages," Chebrov said. "The volcano was preparing for this for at least a year."

Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, Kamchatka is one of the most volcanically active regions on Earth. It has around 160 volcanoes, 29 of which are active.

The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its high density and variety of volcanoes and related geological features like geysers, hot springs, and calderas. Some prominent volcanoes include Klyuchevskaya Sopka - the highest active volcano in the Northern Hemisphere - and Mutnovsky, which is known for its active fumaroles.