Tremors at Japanese Volcano Increase in Strength...03/29/00

Mari Yamaguchi - Associated Press   TOKYO  - Three towns near a volcano that was in danger of erupting in northern Japan ordered the evacuation of 8,000 people as increasingly powerful tremors shook the region Wednesday.

The order was issued an hour after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.2 was recorded near Mount Usu on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido. It was the most powerful of the more than 1,000 tremors that have shaken the snow-covered volcano over the last three days, in what volcanologists say is a sign of impending eruption.

Hundreds of villagers had already voluntarily abandoned their homes. Local officials reportedly fear an eruption could trigger deadly mudslides.

Mount Usu, 475 miles north of Tokyo, last erupted in 1978, killing two and destroying 196 homes.

Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a statement Wednesday that an eruption was possible "within several days," heightening the urgency of an initial warning issued Tuesday.

Three towns with a combined population of 51,300 are near the 2,416-foot mountain.

Authorities in the towns of Date, Sobetsu and Abuta on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of 3,832 homes considered dangerously close to the volcano, said Takashi Odajima, a disaster-prevention official with Hokkaido's government.

The mountain's seismic tremors have escalated in frequency and strength, according to the Meteorological Agency, though no major injuries or damage have been reported.

The Date town office has been flooded with telephone calls from residents asking about evacuation procedures and volcano updates as the mountain continued to spew out smokes and steam.

"We are worried," Date spokesman Katsuhiro Morita said. "Especially these frequent low rumblings make us feel uneasy."

Mount Usu is also a sightseeing and hiking area. Hokkaido government official Toshikazu Azumada said that three hiking trails have been all closed off.

A local meteorological observatory said accumulated snow around the volcano could rapidly melt in the eruption, triggering mudslides, Kyodo News agency reported.

As of Wednesday, there was no sign of movement in the volcano's magma, officials said.