 TOKYO
- A volcano on a small Japanese island erupted Tuesday for the
second time in less than two weeks as a mass exodus of islanders
continued due to fears that a major earthquake could strike the
area.
Mount Oyama
on Miyakejima island, some 150 kilometers (93 miles) southwest
of Tokyo, blew its top at around 4:35 a.m. (1935 GMT Monday),
the meteorological agency said.
"Smoke
has reached as high as 8,000 meters (264,000 feet) and volcanic
ash has fallen particularly on the island's northern side,"
said Kaoru Sato, an official at the agency's volcano division.
She added no cinders had been strewn around.
The 813-meter
(2,683-foot) volcano came back to life on July 8 after being dormant
for years and erupted last week as a series of earthquakes rocked
Miyakejima and neighboring islands.
There were
no immediate reports of casualties or property damage, Miyakejima
village office spokesman Seiji Asanuma said.
"It was
quite difficult to breath immediately after the eruption with
the visibility down at about five meters (16.5 feet)," he
said, adding that islanders were advised to stay indoors to avoid
any falling ash and cinders.
The eruption
was considered minor when compared with the one which spewed smoke
more than 15,000 meters (49,500 feet) high on August 18.
A total of
1,400 people, or one third of the island's population have left
the island since Saturday amid fears of more eruptions and earthquakes,
Asanuma said.
The local
authorities have decided that all elementary and junior high school
students should be evacuated.
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