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iPhone Survives Mount Ontake Eruption: Photos Inside Are Haunting, Hikers Final Moments Captured [Photos]

By Tara West
Published on: 01:38 PST, Oct 5, 2014

Haunting photos have been pulled from phones of hikers that perished in Japan’s Mount Ontake volcanic eruption. The photos, taken shortly before the eruption show smiling faces and excitement as each hiker reaches the peak of the mountain. However, the final photo of one of the hikers captures the sheer magnitude of the disaster.

More than 50 people died when Mount Ontake, a popular hiking destination in central Japan, erupted without warning on September 27 in the country’s deadliest volcanic eruption since World War II.

According to US News, Hideomi Takahashi, 41, was among nine climbers from a major Japanese insurance company, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Holdings, Inc. They worked at two branches near Tokyo. Only three survived. At Takahashi’s funeral on Thursday, his family showed a close friend an iPhone with at least six photos from what would be the last few minutes of his life. The last photo, apparently shot by a colleague, shows Takahashi standing next to the “Mount Ontake summit” sign, giving a thumbs-up.

Hiker takes last photo on Mount Ontake
In this photo taken Saturday, September 27, 2014 found in a smart phone that survived the Mount Ontake eruption, we see 41-year-old hiker Hideomi Takahashi’s last photo. Hideomi fell victim to the eruption of Mount Ontake, and the photo was subsequently uploaded on Twitter by his friend Thursday, October 2, Takahashi poses on the summit of Mount Ontake four minutes before the initial eruption of the volcanic mountain in central Japan. (Courtesy Hideomi Takahashi)

One of Hideomi’s friends saw the iPhone was still working and decided to share some of the photos.

“When I saw the iPhone still worked, I thought it’s like a miracle.”

The friend asked that only his first name, Hiroyuki, be used after he was criticized online for posting some of the photos on Twitter. He has since taken the tweets down.

The Daily Mail reports that a second Mount Ontake victim, 59-year-old Izumi Noguchi, was climbing alone as his usual hiking companion, his wife Hiromi, had to work. The hiker’s compact camera was found banged up with Noguchi’s body, but the sim card remained intact. Hiromi viewed and printed all 100 photos taken during Noguchi’s final hike. The last few photos on the card showing the magnitude of exactly what happened that day on the peak.

In this Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 file photo found in a camera possessed by 59-year-old hiker Izumi Noguchi, a construction worker, who fell victim to the eruption of Mount Ontake, and was offered to Kyodo News by his wife, Hiromi, Friday, Oct. 3, Noguchi poses on the summit of Mount Ontake shortly before the eruption of the volcanic mountain in central Japan. Noguchi was climbing alone, as his usual hiking companion, his wife Hiromi, had to work, she told Japanese broadcaster NHK and other TV stations. His compact camera was banged up, but the memory chip inside was undamaged. She printed all 100 shots. The last one is of an enormous plume billowing from the crater behind a mountaintop lodge. (Kyodo News, File)
In this Saturday, September 27, 2014 photo found in an iPhone possessed by 59-year-old hiker Izumi Noguchi, a construction worker, who fell victim to the eruption of Mount Ontake, we see some of his final moments. This is one of 100 photos taken that dreadful day. Noguchi poses on the summit of Mount Ontake shortly before the eruption of the volcanic mountain in central Japan. His compact camera was banged up, but the memory chip inside was undamaged. She printed all 100 shots. (Kyodo News, File)
Final photo mount ontake
This Saturday, September 27, 2014 file photo taken by 59-year-old hiker Izumi Noguchi, a victim of the eruption of Mount Ontake, was offered to Kyodo News by his wife, Hiromi, Friday, October 3. Nogucki was a hiker standing on the summit shrine compound on Mount Ontake, watching and photographing as dense plumes of gases and ash billowing from the crater as the volcanic mountain starts to erupt in central Japan. This would be one of the last images that Noguchi saw before being consumed by the ashes. (Kyodo News, Izumi Noguchi, File)
Final photo of Mount Ontake victim
Final photograph: Izumi Noguchi took this incredible photograph of a huge cloud of ash from Japanese volcano Mount Ontake just moments before he was killed. His body and camera were found near Mount Ontake’s summit shrine compound.

Another hiker who was climbing the summit and survived uploaded a startling Youtube video taken just seconds after the eruption. In the video you can see the plumes of ash and smoke pouring down the mountain towards the hiker. The final seconds of the video show the hiker being consumed by the ash.

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