Check out the amateur up-close video footage of the volcanic eruption on Japan’s Mount Ontake. The clip clearly shows a vast cloud of ash from at 10,000 feet rolling down the mountain with over 250 hikers trapped through the ordeal. The dark cloud of ash enveloped everything, in and around the area making it near impossible to see and move around.

The Washington Post says:

“Of the 110 active volcanoes in Japan, 47 of them are monitored closely by scientists. Mount Ontake is one of them. Scientists have 12 seismometers on the volcano, as well as five GPS instruments and a tiltmeter, used to measure whether or not the ground is moving. Eleven minutes before the eruption, the seismometers showed a volcanic tremor, but neither the GPS nor the tiltmeter showed any changes.”

Amateur Footage of Mount Ontake Volcanic Eruption is Hair-Raising

Amateur Footage of Mount Ontake Volcanic Eruption is Hair-Raising

Mount Ontake erupted shortly before noon on September 27:

“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.”

Check out some more footage of the scary event:

Image courtesy of The Washington Post

Image courtesy of The Washington Post