The death toll from the Ontake volcano eruption continues to rise.

(Baonghean.vn) - According to authorities, on Monday, September 28, more than five climbers were found in a state of cardiac arrest near the summit of Mount Ontake. This mountain suddenly erupted again on September 27.

Soldiers and rescue workers search for missing people after the eruption of Mount Ontake in Nagano on September 28, 2014 / Photo: AFP

"We found five more people in cardiac arrest on the mountain," a Nagano prefectural police spokesman told AFP. Another 27 victims were in a similar condition and four others were confirmed dead. So far, only four people were brought down safely on Sunday by rescue teams. Although eight were rescued on Monday, they have not been able to move to safer ground due to geographical obstacles.

About 550 soldiers, police and firefighters were involved in the rescue operation for the hikers trapped by the eruption. However, on Sunday afternoon, the rescue operation was forced to pause due to increasing amounts of sulfur gas and ash.

Mount Ontake is the second highest volcano in Japan, reaching 3,067 meters high, ​​200 km west of Tokyo, located between Nagano and Gifu prefectures. This is an ideal climbing spot for many tourists. Previously, Mount Ontake had also been active several times, the largest eruption was in 1979, creating a huge amount of ash up to 200,000 tons. It is known that there were about 300 hikers climbing the mountain when the volcano suddenly "awakened" at noon on Saturday. The eruption created huge columns of white smoke and ash into the sky.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has raised the warning level to level 3 (on a scale of 1-5), which is considered very dangerous. Meanwhile, the Japanese government is still trying to find and rescue those still trapped.

Chu Thanh– According to Liberation September 29