More than 30 hikers feared dead as Japanese volcano erupts Rescuers find bodies of more than 30 hikers near the peak of Mount Ontake, which erupted violently on Saturday By Julian Ryall, Toyko 9:25AM BST 28 Sep 2014 At least 30 climbers are feared dead after being found on Sunday by emergency teams on Mount Ontake, Japan's second-highest volcano, which erupted the previous day. The victims were found near the peak of the 10,062-foot mountain and appear to have been knocked unconscious by debris erupting from the volcano or were overcome by the dense ash or toxic fumes. Climbers were engulfed by ash when the Japanese volcano erupted As of midday, local authorities said they have been unable to account for a further 45 hikers. Related Articles Volcanic lightning in Japan 28 Jan 2011 Fresh eruptions at Japanese volcano 31 Jan 2011 Eruption causes volcanic lightning 02 Feb 2011 Volcanic eruptions in Japan and Indonesia cause travel chaos 28 Jan 2011 'James Bond' volcano erupts in Japan 27 Jan 2011 More than 60 people have been injured in the eruption, with around 40 of those in serious conditions. Authorities have warned that figure is likely to increase. Helicopters from the Japan Self-Defence Forces were searching the mountain slopes on Sunday and at least seven hikers who had endured a night amid the clouds of ash billowing from the volcano were winched aboard helicopters and flown to safety. Authorities believe that around 250 people had set out to scale the mountain on Saturday, with those on the lower slopes able to retrace their steps to safety after the volcano erupted without warning at 11.53 am. On the borders of Gifu and Nagano prefectures some 125 miles west of Tokyo, the peak last erupted in 1979. Television footage showed images of hikers dazed and coated in thick layers emerging from clouds of ash to be met by emergency teams. Images taken from aircraft circling the mountain also showed ash pouring out of large vents in the face of the peak and nearby mountain huts covered in grey debris. Other buildings appeared to have been badly damaged by the force of the eruption. "The eruption was very loud, even this far away," said Mitsuko Ando, owner of the Kaida No Popoya restaurant, which has a view of the peak from 9 miles to the south. "There were a series of minor earthquakes that we felt in the days before the eruption, but we didn't really think much of them because it's not unusual," she told The Telegraph. "This has really come as a surprise," she added. "Yesterday, the smoke was rising about 3 km [1.8 miles] above the very top of the mountain and we can still see smoke pouring from areas near the top. "And the ash has been falling here, leaving a fine coating across the garden." Climber Mikio Oguro told national broadcaster NHK that vast plumes of smoke suddenly poured out of the crater, blocking out the sun and reducing visibility to zero. "Massive amounts of ash suddenly fell and the entire area was immediately covered," he said. "My colleagues later told me that they thought they might die." Huts on the mountain were quickly filled with people taking refuge. "All of a sudden, ash pile up so quickly that we couldn't even open the door," Shuichi Mukai, who works in a mountain hut, told Reuters. "We were really packed in here, maybe 150 people," he added. "There were some people crying, but most people were calm. We waited there in hard hats until they told us it was safe to come down." Experts have warned that the eruption could continue for some time and that there is a risk of pyroclastic flows down the flanks of the mountain. Authorities have also declared an area 4 miles from the peak to be a danger zone and have warned local people to beware of falling debris, including cinders that could ignite fires. Share 1 Facebook 0 Twitter 1 Email LinkedIn 0 Japan News » World News » Asia » Related Partners The best way to transfer money overseas In Japan Members of the police arrive with stretchers Hiroshima landslide Japan Ground Self Defense Forces' type 74 tank fires during an exercise in its Higashi-Fuji training ground in Gotemba, some 100 kilometre west of Tokyo on August 19, 2014. A total of 2,300 personnels, 80 tanks and armoured vehicles, 20 aircrafts and 600 vehicles participated in the exercise. 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Rescuers find bodies of more than 30 hikers near the peak of Mount Ontake, which erupted violently on Saturday

By Julian Ryall, Toyko

9:25AM BST 28 Sep 2014

At least 30 climbers are feared dead after being found on Sunday by emergency teams on Mount Ontake, Japan's second-highest volcano, which erupted the previous day.

The victims were found near the peak of the 10,062-foot mountain and appear to have been knocked unconscious by debris erupting from the volcano or were overcome by the dense ash or toxic fumes.

Climbers were engulfed by ash when the Japanese volcano erupted

As of midday, local authorities said they have been unable to account for a further 45 hikers.