Japanese Islanders on Edge as Volcano Rumbles

With windows rattling each time the Earth rumbled, weary Japanese evacuees lay jammed on the wooden floor of a community hall here Tuesday as a volcano threatened to erupt.

More than 2,500 people on Miyakejima were evacuated Monday to the northern part of the island after intensifying earthquakes signaled that magma was moving toward the Earth’s surface.

Seismologists said underwater eruptions had apparently begun and warned that the activity could cause damage if it moved inland.

“I want it to erupt soon so I can go home soon,” said security guard Masanobu Okamoto, 45.

The island, about 120 miles south of Tokyo, is home to Mt. Oyama, a volcano that has had several major eruptions in the last 60 years. About 4,000 people live on Miyakejima.

One sign of a possible undersea eruption was a yellow tinge to the ocean’s surface. The Japan Defense Agency reported the color change about a mile off the west coast of Miyakejima on Tuesday morning.

But local official Toshihiko Yoshida said the eruptions were moving westward out to sea.

Yoshiaki Ida, a seismologist with the Coordinating Committee for the Prediction of Volcanic Eruptions, said underwater explosions could be dangerous if they occurred closer to the shore.

An eruption of Mt. Oyama would potentially be more violent than the March eruption of Mt. Usu in northern Japan, scientists said. While Usu spewed smoke and rocks, an eruption of Oyama would involve violent blasts and lava.

On Tuesday, police officers stood guard on roads blocked off to prevent entry to evacuated areas. Many of the popular inns here were closed.

Evacuees recalled past eruptions of Mt. Oyama, which last exploded in 1983, spewing lava and destroying homes, though no one was killed. A 1940 eruption killed 11 people and injured 20.

People were nervous about the stronger tremors Tuesday--at least one reached as high as magnitude 4.7, the Meteorological Agency said.