The eruption of Ontake volcano led to the death of at least 36 people, while Japanese rescuers continue the operation in order to find survivors who might be still trapped.

The adverse conditions hold back the rescue team’s efforts, since the whole area has been covered by a thick layer of ash and rocks are ejected threatening the lives of the rescuers. Also, there is a high risk of being poisoned from the toxic gases emitted from the volcano, which was why the investigation was halted on Monday.

The eruption of Ontake volcano, though, revealed serious omissions in the safety of tourists and residents of the areas near volcanoes. These omissions can be addressed only through communication between local authorities and the meteorological service of the country, as Japanese media state.

It seems that the main accountable for this tragedy is the Meteorological Service of Japan, since as it became known, it reported an increase in volcanic activity at Ontake on September 11, but did not clarify the level of danger for those who would visit the area.

The local government of Otaki, a town near the volcano, informed the shelters, but decided not to thoroughly warn climbers since Meteorological Service did not raise the volcanic alert level for Ontake.

The Meteorological Service evaluates the active volcanoes on a scale from 1 to 5 based on the eruption risk. Ontake volcano had remained at level 1 until the eruption occurred, which means that they thought that the situation was completely under control. Many local organizations depend exclusively on the Service to decide whether access to dangerous areas of the mountains is restricted.

Japanese Meteorological Service has raised the volcanic alert level more than 20 times since December 2007. However, officials of the Service argue that it is very difficult to foresee any eruption caused to gas, as it was the case with Ontake volcano, since there are very few indicative signs on the earth’s crust.