御嶽山噴火　－　Mount Ontake erupts

Incredible eyewitness footage shot by a hiker trapped on the top of Mout Ontake, the Japanese volcano as it erupted on Saturday 27th September 2014.
The video shows the huge plumes of smoke and ash spewing from the volcano and then people sheltering in the pitch black inside a mountain top hut whilst rocks and ash rained down. The hiker was able to descend after a few hours through deep ash, and can be heard speaking to another hiker who said that he had been at the summit at the time of the eruption and suffered burns and had seen "4 or 5 dead".

The final death toll is still unconfirmed although over 30 people are known to have been killed as a result of the eruption which saw toxic plumes of smoke rising over 10km high. Mt. Ontake is a popular hiking destination and the eruption occurred on a busy weekend with many hikers visiting the area to see the autumn colours. The last time there was a major eruption at the volcano was in 1979 and this time there was little recognised prior warning that the mountain would erupt.

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