AlHijjah 06, 1435, September 30, 2014, SPA -- Search operations were temporarily suspended at a volcano in central Japan early Tuesday amid growing fears of another large eruption, local police said, according to dpa. Thirty-six people were feared dead after Mount Ontake, a popular trekking destination, erupted over the weekend. "Plumes of smoke have so far extended up to 400 metres" above the 3,067-metre volcano, a Nagano prefecture police official said. "A strong wind around the summit of the mountain has made the situation worse." About 850 rescue workers, including soldiers, had been trying to transport 24 bodies to the foot of the volcano when the search was called off. "We are just waiting for conditions on the mountain to improve," the police official said. As of late Monday, 12 people were officially confirmed dead, while at least 69 people were injured in the eruption, 200 kilometres west of Tokyo.
