VIDEO: Hiker Films Mt. Ontake Eruption

Hiker Films as Japan's Mt. Ontake Erupts (Reuters)

A Japanese hiker films the eruption of Mount Ontake on Saturday (September 27) as he moves down the volcano in an attempt to outrun the huge plume of volcanic ash. Tetsutoshi Kuroda said he was on the Outaki trail close to the summit at 2800 meters above sea level when at about at 11:45 local (0245 GMT) he and his fellow hikers noticed a massive billowing ash cloud above them. Managing to film with his smart phone, Kuroda and those around him rushed down to the closest mountain lodge they could find, which fortunately was not too far away. His footage captured people trying and failing to out run a massive dark cloud before they were forced to cover their mouths and take shelter as ash and rocks rained upon them. Search and recovery efforts for at least two dozen victims of Japan's worst volcanic eruption in decades were called off on Tuesday (September 30) due to worries about rising volcanic activity, including the chance of another steam explosion.