An aerial photo taken from Yomiuri Shimbun’s helicopter shows a climber spotted at mountain line of Mt. Ontake, a volcano spewing ash into the sky in Japan. The volcano erupted for the first time in 7 years, with no fatalities since 1991. Japan’s Meteorological Agency warned about the possibility of sizable volcanic rocks falling on areas within four kilomiters from the volcanic craters.

Japanese Self-Defense Force members and firefighters during a rescue operation on Mount Ontake, between Gifu and Nagano prefectures, in central Japan, 28 September 2014.  Mount Ontake is one of the most popular destinations among trekkers, its last major eruption in 1979 when it spewed more than 200,000 tons of ash. 

Firefighters and members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces prepare to rescue climbers near the peak of the ash-covered Mount Ontake in central Japan, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014

Plumes of smoke billow near a cabin on Mount Ontake in central Japan, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014. Mount Ontake erupted shortly before noon Saturday, spewing large white plumes of gas and ash high into the sky and blanketing the surrounding area in ash. Rescue workers on Sunday found more than 30 people unconscious and believed to be dead near the peak of an erupting volcano, a Japanese police official said

This aerial picture taken on September 28, 2014 shows rescue workers and Self Defence Force soldiers searching for missing climbers and survivors among ash covered mountain cottages on the top of Mount Ontake.

In this photo taken by an anonymous climber and was offered to Kyodo News, climbers descend Mt. Ontake to flee as the volcanic mountain erupts in central Japan. More than 250 climbers were on the mountain, and more than 30 have died from the eruption.

Mountain lodges near the top of Mt. Ontake were covered in ash from the sudden eruption of the 3067m volcano.

This broadacast image of Mount Ontake erupting shows the massive billowing ash column of the volcano. Hundreds of hikers were caught in the eruption and more than 30 died.

An aerial photo taken from a Kyodo News airplane shows columns of ash rising from vents of Mt. Ontake in Japan.

An aerial photo taken from Yomiuri Shimbun’s helicopter shows the volcano of Mt. Ontake, a volcano spewing gray smoke up into the sky in between Gifu and Nagano Prefecture in Japan.

In this photo taken by an anonymous climber and was offered to Kyodo News, dense plumes rise from the summit crater of Mt. Ontake shortly after the volcanic mountain erupted in central Japan. The eruption took everyone by surprise, as there were no warning signs or prior seismic activity.

In this photo taken by an anonymous climber and was offered to Kyodo News, climbers descend Mt. Ontake to flee as the volcanic moutain erupts in central Japan, Saturday, 27 September, 2014. With a sound likened to thunder, the 3067m mountain spewed large white plumes high into the sky, sending people fleeing, covering surrounding areas in ash, with more than 250 people stuck on the slopes for hours, many taking refuge in mountain lodges that dot the way up. 

This handout picture taken by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Chubu Regional Development Bureau on September 27, 2014 shows white ash rising from Mount Ontake as Japan’s volcano Ontake erupts in Nagano prefecture, central Japan.