1/8This aerial picture shows rescue workers and Self Defense Force soldiers searching for missing climbers and survivors among ash-covered mountain cottages and a Shinto shrine (above) on the top of Mount Ontake at Nagano prefecture, Sept. 28, 2014.
More than 30 people were presumed dead on Sunday near the peak of a Japanese volcano, Mount Ontake, that erupted unexpectedly a day earlier while it was packed with hikers out to admire autumn foliage, sending a huge cloud of ash and rock tumbling down its slopes.
2/8Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) soldiers and firefighters conduct rescue operations at mountain lodges, covered with volcanic ash as volcanic smoke rises near the peak of Mount Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures, Sept. 28, 2014.
More than 30 people were presumed dead on Sunday near the peak of a Japanese volcano, Mount Ontake, that erupted unexpectedly a day earlier while it was packed with hikers out to admire autumn foliage, sending a huge cloud of ash and rock tumbling down its slopes.
3/8A hiker is lifted by a rescue helicopter of Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) during a rescue operation at Mount Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures, central Japan, Sept. 28, 2014.
More than 30 people were presumed dead on Sunday near the peak of a Japanese volcano, Mount Ontake, that erupted unexpectedly a day earlier while it was packed with hikers out to admire autumn foliage, sending a huge cloud of ash and rock tumbling down its slopes.
4/8Plumes of smoke billow near a cabin on Mount Ontake in central Japan, one day after it erupted, spewing large white plumes of gas and ash high into the sky and blanketing the surrounding area in ash, Sept. 28, 2014.
More than 30 people were presumed dead on Sunday near the peak of a Japanese volcano, Mount Ontake, that erupted unexpectedly a day earlier while it was packed with hikers out to admire autumn foliage, sending a huge cloud of ash and rock tumbling down its slopes.
5/8A military helicopter, aiding in rescue operations, flies above Mount Ontake as it continues to erupt in Nagano prefecture, Sept. 28, 2014.
More than 30 people were presumed dead on Sunday near the peak of a Japanese volcano, Mount Ontake, that erupted unexpectedly a day earlier while it was packed with hikers out to admire autumn foliage, sending a huge cloud of ash and rock tumbling down its slopes.
6/8A firefighter allows a fire engine onto a restricted road leading to Mount Ontake as firefighters head to the mountain to aid in the rescue efforts of those stranded and injured, in Otaki Village, Nagano prefecture, Japan, Sept. 28, 2014.
More than 30 people were presumed dead on Sunday near the peak of a Japanese volcano, Mount Ontake, that erupted unexpectedly a day earlier while it was packed with hikers out to admire autumn foliage, sending a huge cloud of ash and rock tumbling down its slopes.
7/8A military vehicle prepares to head to rescue climbers on Mount Ontake, background, in Otaki Village, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Sept. 28, 2014.
More than 30 people were presumed dead on Sunday near the peak of a Japanese volcano, Mount Ontake, that erupted unexpectedly a day earlier while it was packed with hikers out to admire autumn foliage, sending a huge cloud of ash and rock tumbling down its slopes.
8/8Plumes of smoke and ash billow from Mount Ontake in central Japan, Sept. 28, 2014.
More than 30 people were presumed dead on Sunday near the peak of a Japanese volcano, Mount Ontake, that erupted unexpectedly a day earlier while it was packed with hikers out to admire autumn foliage, sending a huge cloud of ash and rock tumbling down its slopes.
