By JON AUSTIN:
MAJOR evacuations have been sparked by the SIMULTANEOUS eruption of two volcanoes - including one of the world's most feared - spewing toxic gas and ash clouds for miles.
The two volcanoes are thousands of miles apart but are on the edge of the same tectonic plate – the Phillippine Plate – sparking fears of a major seismic shift, more volcanic activity and even earthquakes and tsunamis.
More than 1,200 people have been evacuated from within a 1.9-mile containment zone around Mount Egon in Kupang, eastern Indonesia - one of the most volcanic parts of the globe.
It was followed moments later by the eruption of Zhupanovsky on Russia's eastern coast which spewed lava FIVE MILES into the air.
The latter explosion is likely to affect air traffic in Russia, but the huge ash cloud is also drifting east over the Pacific Ocean so the impact on flights could be much worse
In Asia, officials distributed thousands of gas masks to villagers around the volcano on eastern Flores island amid fears of a major eruption as the choking fumes worsened.
All residents living within the containment zone have been ordered to evacuate, while roads bringing traffic in have been closed.
Mount Egon is considered a very active volcano and is in the top ten of the potentially deadliest in the event of a major eruption.
More people living further from the volcano may have to also flee if the situation gets worse, disaster officials have warned.
In Russia, the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in the Kamchatka area earlier issued a "code orange" warning the eruption was under way, and warning aircraft to avoid flying near the exploding peak.
Fortunately, the volcano is 42 miles from populated areas, and the emergency services said ash had yet to reach any homes.
A spokesman for the institute said: "Today at around 4.30pm [3.30 am GMT), the Zhupanovsky volcano spewed ash to the height of up to five miles above sea level.
Last autumn, Express.co.uk reported how tests were being carried out on the impact of volcanic ash getting into a jet engine, because the true effects are still not known despite the global chaos caused by the Icelandic ash clouds in 2010.
"The ash column could be seen with the naked eye from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and some other settlements.
"At the moment, the ash cloud has spread 12 miles and it continues moving towards the ocean."
Zhupanovsky is one of the least studied volcanoes in the region despite its proximity to a large city.
It is composed of four overlapping cones, the highest of which reaches 2,958 metres.
Silvanus Tobi, disaster mitigation official, said: "We are on a high alert and ready to evacuate any time."
There have been fears of a big eruption after the volcanic activity began a month ago.
Activity increased over the weekend, before locals began to leave the area.
The last eruption, in 2008, saw a 3.6-mile high plume of toxic ash and material blasted into the air.
There are 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia on the Ring of Fire - a belt of seismic activity running around the basin of the Pacific Ocean.
Last month Express.co.uk reported on fears from scientists that a major eruption of one of the world's bigest volcanoes is on the cards in the next 80 years, but world leaders are woefully unprepared to deal with the Earth-changing disaster.
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