September 27, 2014 – Mount Ontake in Japan erupted Saturday morning injuring many climbers when it forced huge clouds of ash and stones into the sky.
Witnesses said there was a thunder-like roar on the mountainside before the eruption. “It was like thunder,” a woman who runs a lodge near the summit told a broadcaster.
Mount Ontake is situated between Nagano and Gifu area.
Already 150 climbers sheltering on top of the mountain have been rescued by the army says Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. So far residents have been warned to keep about 4 kilometres distance away from the mountain to avoid been injured by the hot debris.
“Some climbers have managed to descend. I escaped with my bare life,” climber one told the Japanese broadcaster, NHK.
Two of those injured have fractured bones caused by flying rocks, NHK said.
Meanwhile three policemen are believed buried under volcanic ash, the broadcaster said adding that a fourth was rescued but remains unconscious, the broadcaster said, citing police source.
BBC reported that Kiso Prefectural Hospital, near the mountain, said it had dispatched a medical emergency team. “We expect a lot of injured people so we are now getting ready for their arrival,” said an official at the hospital.
