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Recovery efforts resume following volcano eruption in Japan; death toll rises to 48

Search and recover efforts resumed Wednesday on Mount Ontake following a volcanic eruption on September 27 that claimed at least 48 lives.

By JC Finley
Mount Ontake, the second highest volcano in Japan, erupted on September 27, 2014. (Flickr/Sparkle Motion)
Mount Ontake, the second highest volcano in Japan, erupted on September 27, 2014. (Flickr/Sparkle Motion)

TOKYO, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Japanese police reported 12 more bodies were discovered on Mount Ontake as rescue efforts resumed Wednesday following a volcanic eruption over the weekend.

The death toll is now at 48 but may continue to rise as search and recovery efforts continue. Police said the coroner has recorded the cause of death as injury by volcanic cinders.

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Japan's Self Defense Forces joined hundreds of police and fire fighters on Wednesday to search for those reported missing, some of whom are believed to be trapped in lodges on the mountain top.

Japan's Meteorological Agency cautioned that the volcano could erupt again in the next few days.

Hundreds of hikers were climbing the volcano when it erupted on September 27, sending a dark plume of smoke into the air and ejecting rubble and covering the surrounding area in a thick layer of white ash. The majority of the 200 to 250 hikers in the area at the time were able to descend the mountain to safety.

Rising more than 10,062 feet, Mount Ontake is the second highest volcano in Japan and a popular hiking destination, especially in the fall when its elevation offers expansive views of the trees and their turning leaves below.

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The volcano lies in the central Chubu region of Japan's main island, about 155 miles west of Tokyo. It last erupted in 2007.

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