Five more bodies were found near the summit of a Japanese volcano on Monday, bringing the total presumed dead to 36, as toxic gases and ash from the still-erupting mountain forced rescue workers to halt efforts to recover the victims.
The eruption on Saturday spewed large white plumes of gas and ash high into the sky, blotting out the midday sun, blanketing the surrounding area in ash. Together with four victims from Sunday, 12 bodies have now been recovered, with unclear reasons to their death.
Experts say it could be from suffocating ash, falling rocks, toxic gases or some combination of them. The volcano erupted shortly before noon on Saturday, with at least 250 people hiking on its slopes on a beautiful autumn Saturday. A survivor recalled his experience.