LURE OF VOLCANO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22023, 4 August 1933, Page 9

LURE OF VOLCANO

TWELVE DIVE INTO CRATER KOBE. July 24. Tiic mysterious lure of Mount Mihtira, a volcano on an island just outside Tokio Bay, for suicides has been eclipsed by Asamayama, another volcano, on the island of Hondo, 90 miles to the northwest of Tokio. Mihara held the record of having had six people dive to death into its crater in one flay, but yesterday 12 committed suicide by jumping in the crater of Asamayama. In May last, 40 people had committed suicide in this manner since the beginning of the year. This number has been added to considerably in the past seven weeks.

So many people were coming to the island on which is Mount Mihara that it was proposed to prohibit tourist traffic there. The inhabitants of the island were perturbed, however, contending that they should not: be isolated because of the suicide mania of others.

Special guards were placed at the crater of Miliara to restrain intending suicides, but although hundreds were saved from a horrible death, many others eluded the vigilance of the guards, and satisfied their desire.to end their lives.