Mount Ontake, a volcano straddling Nagano and Gifu prefectures, erupted on Saturday, spewing ash and small rocks into the air, leaving at least 16 people unconscious and 30 others seriously injured, and stranding more than 40 on the mountain, officials and media said. 
 
 Following the eruption at 11:53 a.m., a thick, rolling gray cloud of ash rose high into the sky above the mountain close to where hikers were taking pictures, TV footage showed. Hikers and residents were warned of falling rock and ash within a radius of 4 km. 
 
 A Nagano prefectural official said at least 16 other people were unconscious, based on information gathered from mountain lodges where people were seeking shelter. There were also indications that more than 30 hikers were seriously wounded. 
 
 At one point, more than 250 hikers had been stranded on the mountain, which is 3,067 meters high. But some 200 managed to descend by Saturday evening, police said. The remainder were forced to spend the night on the mountain until rescue work resumed Sunday morning. 
 
 Nagano police sent an 80-strong team to assist climbers who were making their way down the mountain, while Kiso Prefectural Hospital, near Ontake, said it had dispatched a medical emergency team. “We expect a lot of injured people so we are now getting ready for their arrival,” said an official at the hospital. 
 
 The Meteorological Agency said the volcano, about 200 km west of Tokyo, erupted just before midday and sent ash pouring down the mountain’s south slope for more than 3 km. The agency is forecasting further eruptions that may affect people living around the base of the mountain. 
 
 No signs of any lava were seen in the TV report, but the footage showed dozens of hikers covered with ash hurriedly descending the mountain. Climbers reaching the bottom points of one trail grasped each other with joy and relief to have made it down. 
 
 “I barely escaped,” a local resident told NHK. “Immediately after I watched the eruption, I ran away from it but I was soon covered with ash, which piled up to some 20 cm.” 
 
 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who returned from the United States on Saturday, said he had issued instructions to mobilize the military to help in the rescue effort. “We are still trying to figure out details. I instructed that everything possible be done to rescue the people affected and secure the safety of the trekkers,” Abe told reporters. 
 
 The eruption also forced aircraft to divert their routes, although officials at Tokyo’s Haneda airport and Japan Airlines Co. said there were no disruptions to flights in and out of the capital. 
 
 More than five hours after the initial eruption, the thick ash cloud showed no signs of abating, NHK TV showed. 
 
 “It was like thunder,” a woman interviewed by NHK said. “I heard ‘boom, boom,’ then everything went dark.” 
 
 Mount Ontake’s last major eruption was in 1979, when it emitted over 200,000 tons of ash. It experienced a minor eruption in 1991 and triggered multiple volcanic earthquakes in 2007. 
 
 With a relatively easy climb, lodges along the way and a ropeway running part of the way to the summit, the mountain is popular with outdoor enthusiasts for its autumn scenery, drawing large crowds in late September and October, according to the local tourism association. 
 
 “It’s all white outside, looks like it has snowed. There is very bad visibility and we can’t see the top of the mountain,” Mari Tezuka, who works at a mountain hut for trekkers, said. “All we can do now is shut up the hut and then we are planning on coming down. … This is a busy season because of the changing autumn leaves. It’s one of our busiest seasons.” 

 TOKYO (AP) — A volcano in central Japan erupted in spectacular fashion on Saturday, catching mountain climbers by surprise and injuring at least 11 people, including seven who lost consciousness. 
 
 Dense fumes are spewed out from several spots on the slope of Mt. Ontake as the volcano erupts in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Mt. Ontake erupted Saturday, sending a large plume of ash high... (Associated Press) 
 
 Mountain lodge buildings totally covered by ash stand on the edge of the crater as white plumes are spewed out from Mt. Ontake in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. With a sound likened to thunder,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Buildings of a mountain lodge near the summit crater are totally covered by ash spewed out by Mt. Ontake as the volcano erupts in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Mt. Ontake erupted Saturday, sending... (Associated Press) 
 
 Dense fumes are spewed out from several spots on the slope of Mt. Ontake as the volcano erupts in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Mt. Ontake erupted Saturday, sending a large plume of ash high... (Associated Press) 
 
 Dense fumes are spewed out from Mt. Ontake as the volcano erupts in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Mt. Ontake erupted Saturday, sending a large plume of ash high into the sky and prompting a... (Associated Press) 
 
 Dense fumes are spewed out from Mt. Ontake as the volcano erupts in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Mt. Ontake erupted Saturday, sending a large plume of ash high into the sky and prompting a... (Associated Press) 
 
 Dense plumes are spewed out from the crater of Mt. Ontake as the volcano erupts in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. With a sound likened to thunder, the 3,067-meter (10,062-foot) mountain spewed... (Associated Press) 
 
 With a sound likened to thunder, Mount Ontake erupted shortly before noon on a clear autumn day, spewing large white plumes of ash high into the sky and sending people on the mountainside fleeing. 
 
 The eruption continued into the night, blanketing the surrounding area in ash. More than 250 people were stuck on the slopes for hours, many taking refuge in mountain lodges that dot the way up. By evening, most had made or were making their way down, though some decided to spend the night. Some with injuries didn't want to risk coming down the ash-covered paths. 
 
 As of late afternoon, eleven people had been reported injured, eight seriously, including the seven who lost consciousness, said Nagano prefecture crisis management official Minoru Kashiwabara. 
 
 One witness told Japanese public broadcaster NHK that the eruption started with large booms that sounded like thunder. 
 
 In a YouTube video, shocked climbers can be seen moving quickly away from the peak as an expanding plume of ash emerges above and then engulfs them. 
 
 Many of those who made it down emerged with clothes and backpacks covered in ash. They reported being engulfed in total darkness for several minutes. 
 
 Mikio Oguro, an NHK journalist who was on the slope on an unrelated assignment, told the station that he saw massive smoke coming out of the crater, blocking sunlight and reducing visibility to zero. 
 
 "Massive ash suddenly fell and the entire area was totally covered with ash," he said by phone. He and his crew had to use headlamps to find a lodge. 
 
 "My colleagues later told me that they thought they might die," Oguro said. 
 
 Two Jetstar flights headed to Tokyo's Narita International Airport diverted to Kansai International Airport in western Japan as a precaution. 
 
 Japan's meteorological agency raised the alert level for Mount Ontake to 3 on a scale of 1 to 5. It warned people to stay away from the mountain, saying ash and other debris could fall up to 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away. 
 
 The 3,067-meter (10,062-foot) Mount Ontake sits on the border of Nagano and Gifu prefectures, on the main Japanese island of Honshu. The volcano's last major eruption was in 1979. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Online: 
 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ea3uED1Zgc#t=54 

 A helicopter (R top) flies near rising smoke and mountain lodges (R bottom) covered with volcanic ash near a crater of Mount Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures September 27, 2014, in this photo taken and released by Kyodo. 
 
 TOKYO A Japanese volcano popular with hikers erupted on Saturday, killing one woman and seriously injuring more than 30 people, officials and media said. 
 
 The mountain draws walkers who come to admire the autumn colors on the trees. 
 
 "It was like thunder," a woman told public broadcaster NHK of the first eruption at the volcano in seven years. "I heard boom, boom, then everything went dark." 
 
 The Japan Meteorological Agency said the volcano, Mount Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures 200 km (125 miles) west of Tokyo, erupted just before midday and sent ash pouring down the mountain's south slope for more than three km (two miles). 
 
 Tokyo's Haneda airport said incoming domestic flights were experiencing delays of about 40 to 50 minutes because they were forced to change routes. International flights to and from Haneda were not affected by the eruption, the airport said. 
 
 NHK, citing the local fire brigade, reported that one woman had been confirmed dead. More than 30 people were seriously injured and 10 of them were unconscious, it said. 
 
 According to police, more than 250 hikers at one stage had been stranded on the mountain, which is 3,067 meters (10,062 feet) high and last erupted in 2007. No nuclear power plants are located nearby. 
 
 NHK said about 230 hikers had made their way down the mountain, while 41 people remained stranded and were expected to try descending the next day. 
 
 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who returned from the United States on Saturday, said he had ordered the military to help in rescue efforts. 
 
 "I instructed to do all we can to rescue the people affected and secure the safety of the trekkers," Abe told reporters. 
 
 Nagano police sent a team of 80 to the mountain to assist the climbers, while Kiso Prefectural Hospital, near the mountain, said it had dispatched a medical emergency team. 
 
 "We expect a lot of injured people so we are now getting ready for their arrival," said an official at the hospital. 
 
 As of 8:30 p.m. local time, the eruption was continuing, NHK said. 
 
 "It's all white outside, looks like it has snowed. There is very bad visibility and we can’t see the top of the mountain," Mari Tezuka, who works at a mountain hut for trekkers, told Reuters. 
 
 "All we can do now is shut up the hut and then we are planning on coming down... This is a busy season because of the changing autumn leaves. It's one of our busiest seasons." 
 
 (Reporting by Antoni Slodkowski, Mari Saito and Kiyoshi Takenaka; Writing by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Additional reporting by Chris Gallagher; Editing by Nick Macfie and Stephen Powell) 

 TOKYO (AP) — A volcano in central Japan erupted in spectacular fashion on Saturday, catching mountain climbers by surprise and stranding at least 40 injured people in areas that rescue workers have been unable to reach. Another seven people were missing. 
 
 In this photo taken by an anonymous climber and was offered to Kyodo News, dense plumes rising from the summit crater of Mount Ontake cover the slope carpeted by colored autumn leaves after the volcanic... (Associated Press) 
 
 Dense white plumes rise high in the air as Mt. Ontake erupts in central Japan, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. With a sound likened to thunder, the 3,067-meter (10,062-foot) mountain spewed large white plumes... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo taken by an anonymous climber and was offered to Kyodo News, climbers descend Mt. Ontake to flee as the volcanic moutain erupts in central Japan, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. With a sound likened... (Associated Press) 
 
 Climbers descended to a parking lot located halfway up Mt. Ontake rest after fleeing from the volcano eruption, in Kiso in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. With a sound likened... (Associated Press) 
 
 Mountain lodge buildings totally covered by ash stand on the edge of the crater as white plumes are spewed out from Mt. Ontake in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. With a sound likened to thunder,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Dense fumes are spewed out from several spots on the slope of Mt. Ontake as the volcano erupts in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Mt. Ontake erupted Saturday, sending a large plume of ash high... (Associated Press) 
 
 Buildings of a mountain lodge near the summit crater are totally covered by ash spewed out by Mt. Ontake as the volcano erupts in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Mt. Ontake erupted Saturday, sending... (Associated Press) 
 
 Dense fumes are spewed out from several spots on the slope of Mt. Ontake as the volcano erupts in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Mt. Ontake erupted Saturday, sending a large plume of ash high... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo taken by an anonymous climber and was offered to Kyodo News, dense plumes rise from the summit crater of Mt. Ontake shortly after the volcanic mountain erupts in central Japan, Saturday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Dense fumes are spewed out from Mt. Ontake as the volcano erupts in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Mt. Ontake erupted Saturday, sending a large plume of ash high into the sky and prompting a... (Associated Press) 
 
 Dense fumes are spewed out from Mt. Ontake as the volcano erupts in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Mt. Ontake erupted Saturday, sending a large plume of ash high into the sky and prompting a... (Associated Press) 
 
 Dense plumes are spewed out from the crater of Mt. Ontake as the volcano erupts in central Japan Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. With a sound likened to thunder, the 3,067-meter (10,062-foot) mountain spewed... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo taken by an anonymous climber and was offered to Kyodo News, climbers descend Mt. Ontake to flee as the volcanic mountain erupts in central Japan, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. With a sound... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo taken by an anonymous climber and was offered to Kyodo News, climbers descend Mt. Ontake to flee as the volcanic moutain erupts in central Japan, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. With a sound likened... (Associated Press) 
 
 The injured, unable to descend 3,067-meter (10,062-foot) Mount Ontake on their own, are staying in mountain lodges, said Sohei Hanamura, a crisis management official in Nagano prefecture. Thirty-two people had serious injuries, including at least seven who lost consciousness. 
 
 Police, fire and military rescue workers were planning to try to reach the area on foot after daybreak Sunday, after deciding that the ash in the air made it too dangerous to use helicopters. 
 
 Hanamura said seven people were reported missing on the mountain. 
 
 Lodge managers are familiar with first aid procedures and were communicating with rescue officials in town, he said. 
 
 With a sound likened to thunder, the volcano erupted shortly before noon on a clear autumn day, spewing large white plumes of gas and ash high into the sky and blanketing the surrounding area in ash. 
 
 Smaller eruptions continued into the night. About 250 people were initially trapped on the slopes, but most had made their way down by Saturday night, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported. Some were in shelters set up in four nearby towns. 
 
 One witness told NHK that the eruption started with large booms that sounded like thunder. 
 
 In a video posted on YouTube, shocked climbers can be seen moving quickly away from the peak as an expanding plume of ash emerges above and then engulfs them. 
 
 Many of those who made it down emerged with clothes and backpacks covered in ash. They reported being engulfed in total darkness for several minutes. 
 
 Mikio Oguro, an NHK journalist who was on the slope on an unrelated assignment, told the station that he saw massive smoke coming out of the crater, blocking sunlight and reducing visibility to zero. 
 
 "Massive ash suddenly fell and the entire area was totally covered with ash," he said by phone. He and his crew had to use headlamps to find a lodge. 
 
 "My colleagues later told me that they thought they might die," Oguro said. 
 
 Two Jetstar flights headed to Tokyo's Narita International Airport diverted to Kansai International Airport in western Japan as a precaution. 
 
 Japan's meteorological agency raised the alert level for Mount Ontake to 3 on a scale of 1 to 5. It warned people to stay away from the mountain, saying ash and other debris could fall up to 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away. 
 
 Mount Ontake, about 210 kilometers (130 miles) west of Tokyo, sits on the border of Nagano and Gifu prefectures, on the main Japanese island of Honshu. The volcano's last major eruption was in 1979. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Online: 
 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ea3uED1Zgc#t=54
– A volcano in Japan rumbled to life today unexpectedly, killing a female hiker, the Japan Times reports. At least 40 people were hurt in the eruption of Mount Ontake in central Japan, the AP reports, and the Times notes that 16 were knocked unconscious, per an official. Seven were said to be missing. The mountain spewed ash and initially trapped about 250 hikers on its slopes, reports Reuters. The eruption occurred at midday local time, and by evening most of the trapped hikers had made it down to safety, reports the AP. Many injured, however, are staying in lodges on the mountain. Given the scope of the smoke and ash plumes, it could take a while to account for everyone. "It was like thunder," a woman tells broadcaster NHK of the first eruption. "I heard boom, boom, then everything went dark." The 10,062-foot Mount Ontake is about 125 miles west of Tokyo, on the border between Nagano and Gifu prefectures, and Reuters says it last erupted in 2007. "It's all white outside, looks like it has snowed," an employee of a mountain hut for hikers told the news agency about five hours after the first eruption. "There is very bad visibility and we can’t see the top of the mountain." (Click to read about how a commonly accepted explanation about volcanoes might be wrong.)