Over 30 Hikers Die During Ontake Eruption in Japan: What Happened?

After yesterday’s news about the unexpected eruption at Ontake, we are finally getting the full, grim picture of the extent of death at the Japanese volcano. Authorities in the area has said that over 30 people have been found on the volcano and mostly of them are likely dead from effects of the eruption.

The hikers on Ontake knew they were hiking on a volcano, but there likely had no real indication that anything was about to happen if this eruption was indeed a large phreatic explosion.