DHAKA: Seven more bodies have been found by rescuers combing the peak of a Japanese volcano that erupted at the weekend, officials said on Wednesday, taking the death toll to at least 43.

The seven are in addition to the 36 already known to have died when Mount Ontake burst to life during the busy hiking season, but may not be the last, with reports of more bodies lying near the peak.

‘Rescuers found seven more people in cardiac arrest near the mountain top, and are now carrying them down,’ an official in Otaki village, where one mountain trail begins, told media, reports The Straits Times.

Only doctors can declare someone officially dead, so first responders typically report that someone’s heart has stopped and they are not breathing.

The find comes after media reports suggested as many as 20 people remain unaccounted for, with an area of the volcano still out of bounds to rescuers as it continues to billow toxic gas and steam.

BDST: 1210 HRS, OCT 01, 2014