From The Japan Times:
Four Mount Ontake climbers confirmed dead after eruption
Police confirmed Sunday night the deaths of four of the 31 people found unconscious near the peak of Mount Ontake earlier in the day, one day after the eruption on the Nagano-Gifu prefectural border.
The remaining 27 are all feared to be dead, though officials have yet formally confirmed the deaths of any of them.
The 31 were found in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest when rescue operations resumed Sunday morning. At least another 40 people were injured during Saturday’s sudden eruption.
Facing poisonous gases and fearing another eruption, rescue workers were able to transport just four of the 31 victims to the foot of the mountain by Sunday night. The four were officially pronounced dead when they arrived at the bottom of the mountain.
A bit more:
While data had shown evidence of volcanic quakes in the area in mid-September, there were few other indications that an eruption might be in the offing, making it difficult to predict, according to the Meteorological Agency.
Japan is habituated to periodic volcanic eruptions, being one of the world’s most seismically active nations, but they have caused no fatalities since 1991, when 43 people were killed by a pyroclastic flow at Mount Unzen in Nagasaki Prefecture.
Happened at just the wrong time - amazing that not more were killed.
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