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Japan volcano erupts again, forms new crater

Japan: Japan's Mount Usu volcano on the northern island of Hokkaido lit up the predawn darkness with a second eruption in less than a day on Saturday that spewed rocks and steam skyward and formed a new crater.

There was no immediate danger of a major lava flow, Japan's Meteorological Agency said, but thousands of evacuees and rescue workers keeping their distance from the foot of the rumbling volcano were casting a close eye on the peak which erupted on Friday.

The eruptions have forced the evacuation of 15,000 people and brought warnings of possible landslides from the snow-packed mountain but there have been no reports of casualties.

The Meteorological Agency said a camera placed at the site detected thick smoke rising from the western foot of the 732-metre (2,402-ft) volcano about 2:50 a.m. (1750 GMT Friday).

The sky flared up for about 10 minutes around 3:20 a.m., the agency said. Experts said there were still no signs of lava.

Government officials said the latest eruption would likely continue and one expert who viewed the site by helicopter said the worst may be yet to come.

"It is our common opinion that the main magma (molten rock) has yet to surface," Professor Hiromu Okada told a news conference late on Friday.

The area was also shaken by another earthquake overnight, the latest in a series to hit the area over the past few days, apparently the result of the volcanic activity.

Officials were concerned the heat from the eruption would melt the 30-80 cm (12-31 inches) of snow on the mountain, prompting severe mudslides.

In the small town of Abuta the navy and the Coast Guard were deployed to evacuate the entire population of some 2,000 from their homes perched precariously between the mountain and the sea.

Officials said four naval ships, five Coast Guard vessels and two military helicopters were involved in the evacuation exercise.

After being burned by a slow response to the 1995 earthquake that struck the region around the western Japan city of Kobe in 1995, killing about 6,400, National Land Agency Minister Masaaki Nakayama said the government had been able to respond effectively to the evacuation challenges.

"Having learned our lessons from the experience of the Kobe earthquake, the government's response was close to perfect," Nakayama told Reuters.

Prime Minister Obuchi warned on Friday: "Depending on developments, the eruption could cause even bigger damage. The government will do whatever it can to deal with the situation."

Mount Usu last erupted in 1978 after a series of earthquakes. Mudslides triggered by that eruption killed three people several months later.

"The fact that the ash cloud rose so high suggests the force of the eruption was strong. We can't dismiss the chance of other developments, like magma moves," said Yoshiaki Ida, chairman of the government's volcano experts panel.

Officials said initial assessments showed the eruption had not been as large as first expected, but further blasts could not be ruled out.

Train services in the area have been disrupted, some flights diverted and roads blocked, officials said.

Some 3,300 troops were providing water and blankets to evacuees. -Reuters