At least 16 hikers are still missing on Mount Ontake in central Japan following an unexpected eruption last weekend that killed 47 people, Nagano prefectural government said Friday. "The figure is based on information from other hikers and relatives of the missing, the number of those who had registered with the authorities as well as left vehicles at the foot of the mountain," prefectural officials told reporters, adding that the number may be revised later. Japan's second-highest volcano, located about 200 kilometers west of Tokyo, erupted without warning before noon on Saturday, when hundreds of hikers were having lunch or making their way up or down.
The rescuers had already airlifted 47 bodies found near the 3,067-meter summit to the foot of the mountain by Wednesday, making it Japan's deadliest postwar volcanic disaster.
Some 1,000 police officers, firefighters and Self-Defense Forces personnel plan to put their efforts to recover the victims Saturday on the still-erupting mountain, after heavy rain forced them to halt their Friday's operation. But the Japan Meteorological Agency said rain is likely to continue, with a powerful typhoon approaching Japan in coming days, which may cause flash flooding and mudslides on the volcano.
Mount Ontake is a popular destination for tourists, especially in the fall, when the leaves are turning red. It last erupted in 1979 but no one died.(end) mk.ag