9 injured at ski resort as Japan volcano erupts

Ashes from Mount Kusatsu-Shirane cover near its summit after its eruption in Kusatsu, Gunma prefecture, central Japan, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018. A disaster official said the volcano erupted and caused avalanche near the ski resort. (Suo Takekuma/Kyodo News via AP)

TOKYO—At least nine people were injured Tuesday in a volcanic eruption near a ski resort in central Japan, officials said.

Most of the injured were on the ski slopes, while some were in a gondola where glass was broken apparently by a flying rock, said Makoto Shinohara, an official in Kusatsu town.

Five people sustained broken bones but none of the injuries were life-threatening, reports said.

The Japanese military said six soldiers who were among about 30 people on ski training were buried by a nearby avalanche, but they were all rescued.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says snow-covered Mount Kusatsu-Shirane erupted around 10 a.m.  /jpv