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Japan's Mount Aso has erupted, flinging a column of hot gas, ash and rocks into the sky and sending hikers fleeing away from the popular tourist spot.
The volcano, located on the southern island of Kyushu, erupted at 11.43am Wednesday while dozens of tour buses and cars were parked at the site.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, but rescue teams say they are still trying to work out whether any hikers got trapped by torrents of ash which ran down the sides of the volcano.
Plumes of ash and smoke rose 11,500ft into the sky after the eruption, in scenes captured by nearby CCTV cameras and on tourist's phones.
Mount Aso, on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, erupted at 11.43am local time - sending a plume of ash 11,500ft into the sky
Aso is a popular tourist spot and dozens of cars and tour buses were parked nearby at the time, though no injuries were immediately reported
'Human lives are our priority and we are working with the Self Defence Forces, police and firefighters to effectively deal with the situation,' Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu
