Sudden VOLCANIC eruption causes AVALANCHE to hit ski resort - At least 12 injured
AN AVALANCHE has hit a ski resort leaving one soldier dead and at least 12 people injured after a nearby volcanic eruption caused rocks to rain down on frightened skiers, it has emerged.
WATCH: Volcano erupts in central Japan, causing rocks to rain down on a nearby ski resort and injuring at least 15 people pic.twitter.com/x0sJ6ufLOm
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Three others have been rescued from the scene, it has emerged.
Rocks were launched from Mount Kusatsu-Shirane in Japan’s Gunma Prefecture as black smoke filled the air.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency said: "Based on various measurements, we can say that the mountain appears to have erupted, but we are still trying to confirm facts on the ground.”
Local media claimed that the rocks spat out from the active volcano were to blame for the injuries.
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The Fire and Disaster Management Agency stated that rocks could have travelled as far as one mile from the volcanoes’ peak.
Six members of Japan’s Ground Self Defence Force (SDF) were trapped by the devastating avalanche and later rescued - they were taking part in a training exercise when the incident occurred.
One of the SDF soldiers died from their injuries, according to Japan’s Defence Ministry.
Reuters
The ski resort temporarily lost power leaving some suspended in gondolas for around half an hour - an additional 80 skiers were awaiting a rescue in a hut at the top of the mountain - a helicopter began the mission of saving them this morning.
The warning level for the peak of Kusatsu-Shirane has been raised to three, this means that people have been advised to refrain from climbing the mountain.
SDF members and other searchers were tasked with locating a skier that was believed to have been missing - it was later confirmed this was not the case.
Reuters
Footage of the incident shows rocks falling from the sky as horrifying smoke sweeps its way across the resort.
One skier stated that they heard a “huge boom” before black smoke rose into the sky.
They explained: “There was this huge boom, and a big plume of totally black smoke rose up.
“I had absolutely no idea what had happened.”
Another declared: "Other people appeared to be hurt by the stones, which appeared to be around 10 to 20 cm in size.”
Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga detailed that four people riding a gondola on the slopes of the resort were injured by broken glass.
Kusatsu-Shirane is a 2160 meter active volcano - it last erupted in December 1983.
Japan is home to 110 active volcanoes - it monitors 47 of them.
The country’s Meteorological Agency stated that further eruptions are possible.
