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Eight more bodies brought down from Japanese volcano Japanese volcano still erupting, hampering rescue efforts
(36 minutes later)
TOKYO — Mount Ontake in central Japan continued to erupt Monday, with ash and toxic gas forcing rescuers to suspend their efforts to bring down bodies from the peak of the volcano. TOKYO — Five more bodies were discovered near the peak of Mount Ontake in central Japan on Monday, bringing the number of those confirmed or feared dead after Saturday’s volcanic eruption to 36, authorities said.
Eight more bodies were lifted off the 10,000-foot-high mountain, about 125 miles west of Tokyo, on Monday morning, taking the total number of victims recovered to 12. At least 31 people are thought to have been killed when the volcano erupted without warning shortly before lunchtime Saturday, while 65 were injured, some seriously. But the effort to recover bodies from the volcano’s ash-coated slopes has been hampered as the 10,000-foot-high mountain, about 125 miles west of Tokyo, continues to erupt.
About 550 police officers, firefighters and military personnel are involved in the rescue effort, which has been hampered by the continuing eruption. Plumes of grey smoke were seen billowing from the volcano on Monday, while ash has been found as far as 60 miles away. Plumes of grey smoke were seen billowing from the volcano on Monday, with ash and toxic gas forcing rescuers to suspend their efforts to bring down bodies from the peak. Japan’s Meteorological Agency warned that the mountain could erupt again in the next few days.
Before operations were suspended Monday, Japanese television broadcast scenes of soldiers carrying yellow body bags to a military helicopter that had landed on what looked like a moonscape. But before the suspension, eight bodies were lifted off the mountain on Monday morning, bringing the total number of victims recovered to 12, with four brought down Sunday. With the discovery of five more bodies atop the mountain, authorities said at least 36 people are thought to have been killed when the volcano erupted without warning shortly before lunchtime Saturday.
Many of the bodies were found on a trail connecting a shrine near the peak and a lodge about 550 yards below, police said, according to Japan’s Kyodo news agency, while others had been buried in ash as much as 20 inches deep.
About 550 police officers, firefighters and military personnel are involved in the rescue effort, and Japanese media showed scenes of soldiers carrying body bags to a military helicopter that had landed on the ash.
The bodies were being examined at an elementary school in the nearby town of Kiso, while the families of the missing waited at a nearby municipal hall, the Associated Press reported.The bodies were being examined at an elementary school in the nearby town of Kiso, while the families of the missing waited at a nearby municipal hall, the Associated Press reported.
Police said Sunday that 31 people had been discovered at the top of the mountain in a state of “cardiopulmonary arrest,” using the terms for heart and lung failure that Japanese authorities employ to describe bodies. People cannot be declared dead in Japan until doctors have examined them. Japan is no stranger to seismic activity, but this is the first time in more than two decades that anyone has died as a result of a volcanic explosion. Mount Unzen in the southwestern island of Kyushu erupted in 1991, killing 43 people.
The four bodies brought down the mountain Sunday had been confirmed dead and identified, the broadcaster NHK reported. There was no official confirmation on the eight bodies brought down Monday. The Meteorological Agency, responsible for monitoring volcanic activity, has come under intense scrutiny here for not giving any warning of the eruption. The mountain, a popular hiking destination thanks to its well-marked trails and numerous lodges, was crowded with hikers enjoying the start of the autumn foliage viewing season when the eruption occurred.
Some of the bodies were found in a lodge near the summit, local media reported, while others had been buried in ash as much as 20 inches deep. The agency has raised the warning level to three, advising people not to go near the volcano. Level five is an order to evacuate.
Rescuers had to come down from the summit on Monday as the volcano continued to spew ash and fumes into the air. They reported a strong smell of sulphur. Mount Ontake’s eruption was deemed a “phreatic explosion,” when magma in the volcano rapidly heats water, creating steam and causing an eruption.
“It sounds like there is enormous ashfall up there," Katsunori Morimoto, an official in the village of Otaki, told the AP.
The Japan Meteorological Agency, responsible for monitoring volcanic activity, has come under intense scrutiny here for not giving any warning of the eruption. The mountain, a popular hiking destination thanks to its well-marked trails and numerous lodges, was crowded with hikers enjoying the start of the autumn foliage viewing season when the eruption occurred.
The agency might have to reconsider its surveillance system, said Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary. “However, I believe that, given current levels of knowledge, they made the only judgment they could,” he told reporters Monday, according to the Reuters news agency.The agency might have to reconsider its surveillance system, said Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary. “However, I believe that, given current levels of knowledge, they made the only judgment they could,” he told reporters Monday, according to the Reuters news agency.