Japan's volcano eruption: 36 hikers feared dead
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 30, 2014
At least 36 hikers are believed to have died after Japan's second highest volcano erupted on Saturday, police said on Monday.
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Volcanic smoke rises from Mount Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures, central Japan, Sept. 27, 2014. [Photo/Agencies] |
Rescue workers airlifted eight more bodies the day to the foot of the volcano following the huge eruption that caught hikers and climbers completely by surprise and has called into question the nation's volcano eruption detection capabilities.
With airlifting relief and rescue options being severely hampered by plumes of noxious gases, suffocating ash and falling rocks, by the final installment of rescues today, the police confirmed that 12 bodies have been taken to the foot of Mount Ontake, while 24 remain near the summit, bringing the total found to 36.
Local police and emergency rescue services said the latest victims were found near a shrine at the summit of the volcano, the same area where other victims were reportedly found, but it remained unclear as to how they died -- whether it be from the suffocating ash, toxic fumes, or rock slides.
Local TV stations pumped out images of service people carrying a series of yellow body bags one-by-one to a military helicopter that had landed in an open area on the mountaintop, its peak now unrecognizable due to being covered in black ash.
The dead bodies are currently being examined in the gymnasium of a nearby elementary school, having been temporarily gathered on an athletic field. Family members were instructed to wait for more news at a local hall.
Around 550 police, firefighters and Self-Defense Forces personnel were called to duty when the 3,067-meter volcano, which is situated over both Nagano and Gifu Prefectures, violently erupted before noon on Saturday, in the middle of a busy hiking season.
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