Erupting Volcano Kills 30, At mount. Ontake

                          

mt. Ontake from the Helicorpter

    It was a terrible experience for Saturday hikers at the Mount Ontake, a 10,062-foot volcanic mountain, located about 200km (125 miles) west of Tokyo, erupted without warning on Saturday, spewing ash, Sulphur and rocks.

According to reports, not fewer than 250 hikers could have been on the mountain on Saturday's night before the mountain erupted.

         

Homes covered in volcanic ash

45 people are still listed as unaccounted for - including those found near the mountain top. There are fears that more persons could be buried under the heavy volcanic ash.

Rescue team taking a hiker dow

                                                   Eye witnesses

The sudden eruption on Saturday was described as "like thunder" by one woman who runs a lodge near the summit.

Heavy, toxic volcanic ash up to 20cm (8in) thick covered much of the mountain,

"All of a sudden ash piled up so quickly that we couldn't even open the door," Shuichi Mukai, who worked in a mountain lodge just below the peak, told Reuters.

"We were really packed in here, maybe 150 people. There were some children crying, but most people were calm. We waited there in hard hats until they told us it was safe to come down."

never-the-less four persons were reported dead by the Japan's national Broadcaster, The NHK News.