Russian volcano's eruptions intensifying

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PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, Russia, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- The Klyuchevskoy volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula is showing signs of coming to life, throwing out red-hot rocks, seismologists say.

At 15,584 feet, the volcano, located 220 miles north of the city Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia's Far East, is Eurasia's tallest active volcano and erupts about once every two years, RIA Novosti reported Monday.

"At present, the Klyuchevskoy spews out magma to a height of (330 feet) with 1- to 6-minute intervals," Alexei Ozerov of the Far Eastern Institute of Volcanology and Seismology told the Russian news service. "This eruption, (which started on Oct. 3), unlike many others, started slow, but its intensity is rapidly growing."

While only tourists who venture too close to the volcano are threatened at this point, Ozerov said that if the eruptions continue to build, high altitude ash emissions may affect air travel in the region.