At least 30 people are believed to have died near the peak of a volcano in central Japan that erupted without warning on Saturday (Sunday NZT), trapping scores of amateur climbers and covering a wide area with thick ash.

Mount Ontake, a volcano straddling Nagano and Gifu prefectures, erupted around 11.53 am on Saturday, leaving several hikers injured and stranded in mountain trails.

Check out the video from the NZ Herald/Hiveyivey2

– NZ Herald