Volcanic eruptions in Kamchatka bury town in ash

Two volcanic eruptions in Russia's Far East region of Kamchatka have covered the whole town of Ust-Kamchatsk in ash.

One volcano began erupting on Thursday and the other started spewing ash on October 22.

More than 5,000 people were forced to stay at home with their windows shut, Interfax news agency reported.

Local authorities said the volcanic ash was not a major health threat to the town’s population, therefore the people were not evacuated from the area.

However, all public institutions and organizations were closed on Thursday, except for essential services.

Due to almost zero visibility, roads in the region were also closed, but reopened later, after one of the volcanoes, Shiveluch, stopped erupting.

Meteorologists say the situation should be completely back to normal by Friday.