VIDEO: Injuries reported as volcano erupts in Japan
A volcano has erupted in central Japan, sending a large plume of ash high into the sky and prompting a warning to climbers and others to avoid the area.
Japanese broadcaster NHK, citing local authorities, said there were reports of injuries, but no word on their severity.
It also reported that people had been evacuated from a mountain lodge.
[comment] [/comment]
Mount Ontake erupted shortly before noon local time on a bright sunny day. The 10,062ft (3,067m) peak sits on the border of Nagano and Gifu prefectures on the spine of mountains that runs down Honshu, Japan’s main island.
In a YouTube video shown on NHK, climbers can be seen moving quickly away from the peak as an expanding plume emerges above them.
Japan’s meteorological agency raised the alert level for Mt Ontake to three on a scale of one to five.
It warned people to stay away from the mountain, saying debris could fall up to 2.5 miles (4km) away.
