MOSCOW — A volcano in Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula has erupted for the first time in over five centuries, spewing an ash plume six kilometers into the sky in an event experts believe may be connected to last week's massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake.

The Krasheninnikov Volcano, dormant since the 15th century, erupted overnight, according to the Russian emergency ministry, which confirmed there was no immediate threat to populated areas.

Photos shared by the Russian Institute of Volcanology and Seismology showed a towering ash cloud rising from the volcano, captured from a helicopter as response teams surveyed the scene.

Just hours later, a second major earthquake measuring 7.0 struck near the Kuril Islands, prompting tsunami warnings across three coastal regions of Kamchatka. While wave heights were projected to be low — around 18 centimeters — authorities urged residents to stay away from the shoreline.

Volcanologist Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, said the eruption may be directly linked to last Wednesday’s powerful quake, one of the strongest ever recorded in the region.

That earthquake had triggered widespread tsunami alerts extending as far as French Polynesia and Chile and forced millions to evacuate.

Both the eruption and aftershocks underscore the seismic volatility of the Kamchatka Peninsula, a rugged, remote region located within the Pacific Ring of Fire. — Agencies