Pilots warned after volcano sends out ash cloud

A low-level ash plume from Mount Shishaldin captured in an Alaska Volcano Observatory webcam (Matt Loewen/Alaska Volcano Observatory/US Geological Survey/AP)

An erupting volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands sent a towering cloud of ash into the air – prompting the National Weather Service to issue an inflight warning to pilots.

Mount Shishaldin began erupting on Tuesday, the Alaska Volcano Observatory said.