Flying rocks kill at least 1 skier in Japan
Print Edition
At least one man was killed and 11 people injured, some critically, when rocks from an erupting volcano rained down on skiers at a mountain resort in central Japan yesterday and an avalanche soon after the eruption engulfed about a dozen skiers.
Seven of those struck by rocks were members of Japan’s Ground Self Defence Force engaged in winter training manoeuvres, the Ministry of Defence said. All were rescued, with one dying later, it added.
Japanese media said many injured apparently hit by volcanic rocks. Two were critically injured and three seriously, national broadcaster NHK said.
One person was trapped in the avalanche for some time before being dug out by rescuers.
Kusatsu-Shirane, a 2,160-metre volcano, erupted yesterday morning, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said. The agency warned that further eruptions could not be ruled out and that rocks could be thrown as far as 2 kilometers from the peak.
Video footage from the top of the resort’s gondola showed skiers gliding down the slopes as black rocks plummeted from the skies and snow billowed up as they struck the ground, sometimes just missing skiers. A cloud of black smoke later drifted in.
“There was this huge boom, and a big plume of totally black smoke rose up,” one skier told NHK. “I had absolutely no idea what had happened.”
A photograph taken at the site depicted a gondola with a shattered window. At least several of the injuries were due to broken glass.
“Other people appeared to be hurt by the stones, which appeared to be around 10 to 20cm in size,” a skier said.
Japan has 110 active volcanoes and monitors 47 of them around the clock. In September 2014, 63 people were killed on Mount Ontake, the worst volcanic disaster in Japan for nearly 90 years.
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