Undersea Volcano Erupts Off Japan Coast

An undersea volcano erupted today fewer than two miles from the Japanese mainland southwest of Tokyo, shooting huge plumes of smoke into the sky and sending hundreds of residents fleeing to shelters, officials said.

The Japanese military began mobilizing troops, ships and planes for the possible evacuation of residents in the event of a large-scale eruption, officials said.

The national Meteorological Agency said the volcano erupted in the Pacific off the coast of the Izu Peninsula south of Tokyo--an area hit by tens of thousands of mostly minor earthquakes this month, including two Sunday that caused injuries and damage.

The eruption began at about 6:30 p.m., causing the ground to rumble near Ito, the closest city on the peninsula, and continued into late Thursday night. Residents of the city of 72,000 saw a towering column of white smoke rising hundreds of feet into the sky.

The Meteorological Agency said the eruption occurred 330 feet below the ocean’s surface at a point 1.8 miles off the coast near the small, uninhabited island of Teishi.

Police said hundreds of people voluntarily left their homes to take shelter at elementary schools and Buddhist temples.

The Meteorological Agency issued a public warning that a tsunami, or tidal wave, could be created by the eruption.

The Maritime Safety Agency, Japan’s coast guard, said the crew of one of its ships heard six volcanic explosions, causing the vessel to shake. They reported seeing black smoke rising from the sea and estimated the plume at 100 feet high and more than 300 feet wide.

Viewed from shore, the column of smoke turned white, rising hundreds of feet into the darkening sky.

An official from the Volcanic Eruption Prediction Liaison Council said, “More eruptions seem to be occurring so extreme caution is necessary.”