See Volcanic Lightning During an Eruption in Japan

A volcano erupted Friday in southwest Japan, sending bursts of lava flowing out of the side.

Mount Sakurajima unleashed grey smoke and streaking flashes of lightning. There were no immediate reports of injuries, according to the Guardian, but officials did ban entry to the site.

The eruption was minor compared to previous fits by Mount Sakurajima. The volcano overlooks the city of Kagoshima. Sakurajima was formerly an island until lava flows from a 1914 eruption connected it with the Osumi Peninsula.

Subscribe to TIME

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.

Please enter a valid email address.

* The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again.

Sign Up Now

An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later.

Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME.

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you!

For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Contact us at letters@time.com.