In Japan, heavy rain sent tons of mud and volcanic debris cascading down Mount Unzen, washing away or damaging at least 70 empty houses and slightly injuring one fleeing resident, officials said today.; Weather forecasters predicted continuing rain in the area.; In the Philippines, 4,795-foot Mount Pinatubo is in its fourth week of eruptions after being dormant 600 years. Officials say 338 people have been killed during the eruptions.; Volcanologist Julio Sabit said low-frequency tremors, similar to those observed prior to major eruptions three weeks ago, preceded the ash ejection this morning.; Authorities warned residents to be alert for high walls of flowing volcanic ash, boulders and debris that move rapidly downstream and can bury whole towns in their path.; Mudflows hit settlements near the towns of Porac and Florida Blanca, about 40 miles northwest of Manila.; Witnesses said houses were buried up to their rooftops and an undetermined number of cattle were killed.; There were sketchy reports today of similar mudflows in the Balintawak River northwest of the volcano but poor communications made it impossible to verify the reports.; Defense Secretary Fidel Ramos, chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council, said crews were deepening river channels near the volcano in hopes of preventing spillovers.; The eruptions severely damaged the U.S.-run Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base, raising doubts over their future. The lease on the bases expires Sept. 16, and talks resume here this month in an effort to reach an agreement on a possible extension.; U.S. officials said today they expect to complete a damage assessment of the bases by July 9.; The Philippine government has also not completed its assessment of overall damage, which was extensive. Agriculture Secretary Senen Bacani said today that damage to crops alone was $15 million.; Near Mount Unzen in Japan, the flow of mud, almost 450 feet wide, started Sunday and was knee-deep today in an abandoned residential area along the Mizunashi River.; Many residents along the river left their homes after Mount Unzen erupted in early June, killing 41 people. About 1,200 people were evacuated from the area Sunday as rain swept ash and basketball-size rocks down three rivers.; By this afternoon, the mudflow had reached Shimabara port, five miles east of the 4,485-foot volcano, police said. It wrecked a bridge and partially blocked a road and a railway as it swept through Shimabara, a city of 45,000 residents, said a Nagasaki police officer.; The observatory monitoring Mount Unzen said volcanic debris still covering the east side of the mountain lends itself to landslides. It said the volcano is still spewing out gas, rocks and ash.; About 9,000 people have been evacuated from the foot of Mount Unzen.; Mount Unzen, 610 miles southwest of Tokyo, erupted Nov. 17 for the first time in 198 years.; Unzen was the site of Japan's worst volcanic disaster, which killed about 15,000 people in 1792.
Mt. Unzen , the site of Japan 's worst volcanic disaster which killed 41 people in 1792 , erupted for the first time in 198 years on 198 years . It erupted in Nov. 17 killing 41 people. Rain swept ash and rocks down rivers and the mudflow spread five miles . The volcano is still spewing out gas, rocks and ash. The Philippines ' Mt. Pinatubo is in early June of eruptions after being dormant 600 years . 338 people were killed and $15 million damage done to crops. Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base were severely damaged. Low-frequency tremors were felt prior to the eruptions.