SCIENTISTS in Japan have sounded the alarm bell for a possible volcanic eruption in the hot spring resort destination of Hakone and has prohibited access to a hiking trail near the Owakudani volcanic vent.
Japan’s meteorological agency had on Tuesday issued a warning to limit access to the popular destination after two minor quakes of magnitude 2.0 and 2.4 were recorded that morning at a nearby volcano, south-west of Tokyo, reported the AFP.
In an advisory the agency stated that “activity at Hakone … is in a state of uncertainty”, and warned of “a possibility that a minor eruption may suddenly occur…Please do not enter dangerous zones”.
The agency upgraded the warning yesterday, forbidding access to a hiking trail involving areas around the Owakudani volcanic vent after seismologists detected minor but more frequent volcanic tremors at the popular hiking site, an official of the agency was quoted as saying. “We raised the warning to level two after detecting the tremors getting relatively bigger and hitting deeper points.”
The town of Hakone has ordered evacuation from the Owakudani area and also closed nearby roads and cable car operations, according to AFP.
Although increasing seismic activity had been observed over the last few days in the Mount Hakone region, the agency said researchers have not seen any signs of magma rising, which could necessitate a major evacuation for local residents.
The announcements are expected to impact tourism to Hakone, which sees some 20 million people, including foreign tourists, visit every year.
