Hundreds Evacuated as Japanese Volcano Threatens To Erupt...03/29/00 Nando Media  

TOKYO  - Authorities said hundreds of people living near an active volcano in northern Japan were evacuated overnight after officials issued a warning that it could erupt.

Nearly 900 tremors have shaken Mount Usu, on Hokkaido island, over the past three days. The strongest of the quakes - with an estimated magnitude of 3.4 - hit the mountain early Wednesday, sparking the warning, officials said.

Japan's Meteorological Agency issued its first warning of a possible eruption on Tuesday.

Three towns with a combined population of 51,300 are located near the 2,416-foot mountain, 475 miles north of Tokyo.

A total of 271 people were evacuated late Tuesday from Date city, located 3.7 miles from the peak, and taken to city-run facilities, said city spokesman Katsuhiro Morita.

About half had chosen to be evacuated, while the others - all 138 residents of two homes for the elderly - were asked to evacuate.

The meteorological agency sent three volcano experts to the scene and plans to set up more quake-monitoring devices around the mountain, national broadcaster NHK said.

Officials said there was no sign on Tuesday of movement in the volcano's magma. On Wednesday authorities said that the top of the mountain was obscured by cloud.

The mountain last erupted in 1978, killing two and destroying 196 homes, said Takaharu Kiriyama, a spokesman for the National Land Agency.