Japan’s Mount Ontake volcano eruption

At least 36 people are feared to have died after a Japanese volcano erupted without warning at the weekend, raining ash and stones on hikers.

The eruption of the 3,067-metre (10,062-feet) peak, 200 km (125 miles) west of Tokyo, took place as the popular hiking site was packed with climbers, including children, admiring autumn foliage under a brilliant blue sky.

Ontake, Japan’s second-highest active volcano, last had a minor eruption seven years ago. More than 500 rescuers had been combing the summit, plowing through knee-deep ash and passing mountain lodges with holes punched in their roofs by rocks shot out of the volcano.