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Residents flee Japanese islands amid fears |
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August 27, 2000
TOKYO (AP) - Two hundred residents fled a small island south of Tokyo on Saturday amid fears that a "fairly big" eruption could occur from a re-awakened volcano, a local official said. About one-third of Miyake island's 3,850 residents have left for other parts of Japan since Aug. 19, a day after Mount Oyama threw up an eight kilometer (five mile) column of ash mixed with volcanic rock, said local official Takashi Hasegawa. He said that included the 202 that boarded boats on Saturday. It was the biggest eruption since the 814-meter (2,686-foot) volcano rumbled back to life on July 9, forcing the evacuation of about 2,200 people to local shelters. Though the evacuation order was later lifted, Hasegawa said further eruptions are expected. "People are leaving because there's a possibility of a fairly big eruption," he said. He said 1,152 people have fled Miyake island, including 211 school children, or about two-thirds of the island's school population. Most have sought refuge in Tokyo, about 190 kilometers (120 miles) to the north, he added. The 55-square-kilometer (22-square-mile) has erupted seven times since July 9. The island has also been shaken by thousands of earthquakes. Experts speculate that shifts in huge underground pools of magma are responsible for the recent volcanic and seismic activity on Miyake, which is part of a chain of volcanic islands off Tokyo that stretch 540 kilometers (335 miles) from north to south. They have warned that an eruption even bigger than the one on Aug. 19 could occur. Mount Oyama's last big eruption was in 1983. Five hundred homes were destroyed when lava flowed over its western flank, though timely evacuations prevented any casualties. |
