Huge rocks fell suddenly at Mount Fuji last week and reached a mountain trail, forcing climbers to escape. No one was injured.
A man who took video of the scene said he heard a rumbling sound from above, and saw rocks rolling down. He said they were about 1 to 3 meters in diameter. The incident happened at around 2 PM on Friday.
Shizuoka University volcanology professor Masato Koyama says lava cracks around a crater at an altitude of 3,150 meters have been widening, triggering rock falls.
Koyama says minor rock falls are a regular occurrence in the area. But he estimates that the rocks fell for about 1.5 kilometers in the latest case and that such a large-scale, long-distance fall is rare.
Major climbing routes on Mount Fuji close in early September, but the trail is popular with hikers and is to remain accessible. Koyama says climbers should take great care and wear helmets.
A large-scale rock fall on a different slope of Mount Fuji in 1980 killed 12 people.
Source and image: NHK