Mount Ontake's deadly eruption
At least 48 people are feared dead after a volcano in Japan erupted over the weekend spewing ash and rock over a two mile-wide area. The search for victims has been temporarily suspended due to the danger of toxic gases.
Plumes of ash and smoke
The eruption of Mount Ontake, Japan's second highest active volcano located some 125 miles west of Tokyo, took place without a warning on Satuday, September 27, sending plumes of smoke and ash up to ten kilometers into the sky. A suffocating blanket of ash up to eight inches deep covered a large area of the volcano. Volcanic debris is expected to settle within 2.5 miles of the peak.
Dozens feared dead
48 people have been confirmed dead in Japan's first fatal volcanic eruption since 1991, and 63 have been injured. Mount Ontake is one of the most popular destinations for trekkers in the country. When the volcano erupted the hiking site was packed with climbers, including children.
A moonscape?
The peak of Mount Ontake now resembles an eerie moonscape under a thick layer of grey ash. More than 500 rescuers including soldiers have been combing the area, ploughing through knee-deep ash.
Toxic gases
Helicopters lifted laden stretchers one by one from the summit on Monday, before rescue efforts were abandoned. However, the smell of sulphur strengthened at the peak, forcing rescuers to suspend their search because of the growing danger from toxic gas.
'I'm dying now'
For anguished families, the wait for news was taking its toll. An elderly woman told the Asahi network that her son had telephoned her just after gas, rocks and ash began spewing from the volcano. "He told me it erupted... He said 'It's over. I'm dying now' and then the line was cut off," the woman said.
'Sincere condolences'
Addressing a policy speech in Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed "sincere condolences" to victims and pledged to "make utmost efforts in rescue work."
Home to dozens of volcanoes
Japan is one of the world's most seismically active nations, with volcanoes such as Mount Sakurajima (seen here) in Kagoshima Prefecture. In 1991, 43 people died in a pyroclastic flow, a superheated current of gas and rock, at Mount Unzen in the southwest. Mount Ontake last had a minor eruption seven years ago. Its last major eruption, the first on record, was in 1979.
Warning
Japan Meteorological agency said that another eruption could occur and warned of ash and debris in areas around the volcano. The agency raised the alert level for Mount Ontake to three on a scale of one to five, and warned people to stay away from the mountain.