Largest active volcano in the northern hemisphere began erupting on Wednesday afternoon following the huge earthquake in Russia's far east.

Hours after a powerful earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, the region's highest volcano began erupting. Geophysicists from the Russian Academy of Sciences reported a strong glow visible at the summit of the 4,750-metre Klyuchevskoy volcano in the Russian Far East.

The eruption had been anticipated for several weeks, as scientists had observed the crater gradually filling with lava and ash emissions increasing.