Volcano erupts for first time in 600 years days after huge earthquake rocked Russia

A volcano has erupted for the first time in 600 years, sending a huge 29,000ft ash cloud high into the sky.

The Krasheninnikov Volcano in Kamchatka, Russia began spewing lava overnight, marking its first recorded eruption in history. Photographs show smoke billowing several miles high from the peak of the volcano, with a large ash cloud seen heading towards the Pacific Ocean. An orange aviation warning has been issued. It comes after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit Russia's Far East coast on Wednesday, flooding a fishing port with waves from a tsunami, cutting power to a few areas and sending panicked residents fleeing from buildings. Multiple injuries were reported. The quake set off Klyuchevskoy - the most active volcano in the area - and also sent tsunami waves across to Japan, Hawaii and the US west coast.

A tsunami height of 10 to 13ft was recorded in Kamchatka, 2ft on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, and 2 to 5ft in San Francisco, officials said.

Much of the US west coast, spanning California, Oregon, Washington state, and the Canadian province of British Columbia, were placed under a tsunami advisory, though no serious damage was reported.

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Authorities warned that the risk from the 8.8 magnitude quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground.

Confirming the eruption of Krasheninnikov today, Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, told Russia's RIA state news agency: "This is the first historically confirmed eruption of Krasheninnikov Volcano in 600 years."

Writing on Telegram, she said lava was last known to have come from the volcano in 1463, with no eruptions reported since.

Russia's four volcanic islands, known in Russia as the Kurils, stretch between the region of Kamchatka and the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

The 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia's Far East coast on Wednesday was the strongest recorded anywhere in the world since the 9.1 magnitude quake off northeastern Japan in March 2011, which caused a massive tsunami claiming almost 20,000 lives.

The epicentre of this week's earthquake was around 120 miles from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000.

Despite tsunami warnings being put in place on both sides of the Pacific, no fatalities were reported, though several people were taken to hospital with minor injuries in Russia.

On Sunday, a smaller 6.8 magnitude aftershock struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula in the Pacific Ocean, according to the region's Ministry of Emergency Situations.

We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.