'We thought we all were going to die' - PHOTO+VIDEO

Within seconds, the cloud covered an area more than two miles wide from the summit of Mount Ontake with witnesses claiming that visibility was reduced to zero.Seven people are missing since yesterday's eruption which seriously injured 32 people with seven of those losing consciousness.  Rescuers believe that at least 40 people are stranded near the 3,067 metre summit of Mount Ontake due to the lingering ash cloud.Sohei Hanamura, crisis management official in the Nagano prefecture which controls the area said police, fire, and military rescue workers can only ascend the mountain on foot as it is too dangerous to deploy helicopters to the area. Rescuers fear that the helicopters would suffer catastrophic engine damage if they ingested the highly abrasive volcanic dust.   The 3,067 metre mountain is 125 miles west of Tokyo and has already forced airlines to divert aircraft from the area. One of the hikers was filming the mountain at the time of the eruption and captured some of the terrified walkers as they fled for their lives. Only a matter of seconds after hearing the noise, the cloud of abrasive dust closes in on them, blocking out the day light. As the cloud struck, the person holding the camera is forced to turn away from the onrushing dust and dive to the ground in order to breathe. (dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.Az