Video of Japan's Mount Ontake Eruption as it Happened

One person has been confirmed dead, nearly fifty climbers are severely injured, and ten people are missing after Mount Ontake (御嶽山, Ontake-san), a popular climbing spot in central Japan, erupted for the first time in five years. News coverage shows billowing clouds of ash, and a large climbing lodge at the top of the mountain covered in grey cinder.

Search for Ontake on Twitter to keep updated on this developing story.

YouTube poster kuroda terutoshi uploaded frightening smartphone footage of the initial explosion as it happened at the top of the mountain. “Let's get out of here!” he says, as a cloud of ash descends on the climbers.

Massive eruption on Mount Ontake

AP was able to get pictures of terrified hikers hurrying down the mountain.

At 3,067 m, Mount Ontake is the second-tallest volcano in Japan after Mount Fuji. It's located in Gifu, close to the large city of Nagoya in central Japan, and is a popular hiking destination in summer and early fall.

Due to the many missing and wounded, many people are looking for updates on the status and whereabouts of friends and loved ones caught on the mountain during the eruption.

One popular Tweet sketches out a rough map of the pyroclastic flow:

 Japan's hiking community is a close-knit group that frequently connects over social media, including Twitter. So, many people are desperate to find out more information.

This comes after, just a day earlier, a well-known hiker from Tajimi in Gifu had posted a much more pleasant image from the top of Ontake:

I spent a nice day by myself hiking to the top of Mount Ontake

As of yet, her whereabouts are unknown.

 

Update

Rescue efforts are ongoing to recover climbers trapped at the top of the mountain, which continues to erupt.

 

Featured image courtesy kuroda terutoshi

Start the conversation

Authors, please log in »

Guidelines

  • All comments are reviewed by a moderator. Do not submit your comment more than once or it may be identified as spam.
  • Please treat others with respect. Comments containing hate speech, obscenity, and personal attacks will not be approved.