Sixteen people remain unaccounted for on a still-smouldering Japanese volcano that erupted at the weekend, as a typhoon looming off the coast threatens to further delay the stalled recovery operation.
Firefighters come down from Mount Ontake on 2 October, five days after the volcano erupted at the weekend. Photo: AFP
Forty-seven bodies have now been removed from the peak of Mount Ontake.
The volcano continues to belch steam and poisonous fumes, making a section near the crater inaccessible.
Heavy rain forced rescuers to abandon their search today and a gathering typhoon looks set to batter Japan over the coming days.
Seismologists had noticed increased seismic activity on Mount Ontake ahead of the eruption but were still unprepared for what ensued.
The mountain, which is about 200 kilometres west of Tokyo, is one of Japan's 110 active volcanoes.
Its eruption on Saturday was the worst volcanic disaster in Japan for 90 years.
