Japan volcano death toll rises after more bodies recovered

Thirty-six people are presumed dead after more bodies were found near the summit of a still-erupting Japanese volcano on Monday, as toxic gases and ash from the mountain forced rescue workers to halt efforts to recover the victims.

Experts have told the Japanese government that they should expect the volcanic activity to continue for some time and that it was also possible that there could be another large eruption similar to the one on Saturday. 

Eight more bodies were airlifted off central Japan's Mount Ontake before work on the ash-blanketed peak was called off around 1:30 p.m. local time, said Naofumi Miyairi, a spokesman for the Nagano prefecture police.

Exactly how the victims died remains unclear, whether from gases, suffocating ash, falling rocks or other causes.

Police said the bodies retrieved Monday were found near a shrine at the summit, the same area where other victims were reportedly found.

Video broadcast live on Japanese TV station TBS showed soldiers carrying yellow body bags one-by-one to a camouflage military helicopter that had landed in a relatively wide-open area of the now bleak landscape, its rotors still spinning.

The bodies were then taken to a small wooden elementary school in the nearby town of Kiso, where they were being examined in the gymnasium. Family members of the missing waited at a nearby municipal hall.

More than 200 soldiers and firefighters, including units with gas-detection equipment, were part of the search mission near the peak, said Katsunori Morimoto, an official in the village of Otaki.

The effort was halted because of an increase in toxic gas and ash as the volcano continued to spew fumes, he said. "It sounds like there is enormous ashfall up there."

Mount Ontake erupted shortly before noon on Saturday, spewing large white plumes of gas and ash high into the sky and blanketing the surrounding area in ash. The mountain is a popular climbing destination, and at least 250 people were initially trapped on the slopes, though most made their way down by Saturday night.

Rescue workers were also trying to help injured people and others who had been stranded on the mountain overnight, many taking refuge in mountain lodges. Some were unable to descend on their own, or unwilling to take the risk.

Shinichi Shimohara, who works at a shrine at the foot of the mountain, said he was on his way up Saturday morning when he heard a loud noise that sounded like strong winds followed by "thunder" as the volcano erupted.

"For a while I heard thunder pounding a number of times," he said. "Soon after, some climbers started descending. They were all covered with ash, completely white. I thought to myself, this must be really serious."

Mount Ontake, about 130 miles west of Tokyo, is a popular climbing destination that sits on the border of Nagano and Gifu prefectures, on the main Japanese island of Honshu. The volcano's last major eruption was in 1979.

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press