Tokyo -
Japan rescue authorities called off the search for people still missing on a volcano in the centre of the country, citing dangerous conditions, a news report said on Friday.
Fresh snow and falling temperatures on the 3 067m Mount Ontake made it too dangerous for the hundreds of rescue workers, Nagano Province Governor Shuichi Abe was quoted as saying by the Mainichi Shimbun.
Seven people were still missing since the volcano erupted in a cloud of ash on September 27, leaving 56 confirmed dead, the Japan Times reported.
The search on the volcano, around 200km west of Tokyo, would not be resumed before spring, Nagano's Abe said. - Sapa-dpa