Indonesia And Japan Rocked By Deadly Volcano Eruptions

Indonesia and Japan have both been hit with a deadly volcano eruption in both nations, which has left dozens dead, many missing, and still others in harms way as hundreds of people flee for safety.

The first was in Japan, where the volcano eruption claimed at least 55 lives, and dozens more are still missing. The Mount Ontake eruption came without warning to spite the nation’s extensive monitoring of its volcanoes. The volcano eruption on September 27 caught dozens of hikers unaware; they were killed by flying rocks and super heated air as the volcano eruption began. Mount Ontake is Japan’s second highest mountain, and is about 125 miles west of Tokyo.

The volcano eruption was powerful enough to be seen from space. In one of the more heartbreaking stories, photographs from one of the hikers killed in the volcano eruption have been recovered, showing the final moments before their deaths.

Scientists believe that they were not able to detect activity before the volcano eruption because, unlike a traditional flow of magma which generates measurable seismic activity, a phreatic eruption involves superheated steam building up enough pressure to cause the volcanic eruption with little to no warning.

Rescue and recovery operations for victims of the volcano eruption could be compromised by the coming of Typhoon Vongfong, which is due to hit Tokyo late Monday or early Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, in Indonesia, residents have been battling the volcano eruption there since October 5. The Mount Sinabung volcano eruption has been spewing ash and molten lava. The volcano eruption has forced several residents to flee their homes as hundreds of thousands of people take shelter in a near by evacuation center. Entire villages could be wiped out as the volcano eruption continues producing apocalyptic worthy images. A huge ash cloud consumes the area around Mount Sinabung.

Mount Sinabung laid dormant for over 400 years until a volcano eruption that occurred in the summer of 2010. A second volcano eruption occurred in February of this year, resulting in more than a dozen deaths.

The nearby town of Sumatra, Indonesia, is covered with ash from the volcano eruption, and residents wear face masks to protect themselves from the dangerous ash and smoke in the air.

With no end in sight, much of Asia is just bearing down to weather the onslaught of recent natural disasters. Some experts believe the ring of fire is just getting started, as other volcano eruptions may be imminent.