The Mount Unzen Disaster - A Tribute to Lost Life - 30th Year Anniversary

This tribute commemorates the 30th anniversary of June 3rd 1991, a day in which Mount Unzen’s Fugendake peak unleashed a flash flood of volcanic ash, rocks and gasses - a pyroclastic flow - which claimed the lives of 43 individuals. The volcano had been gradually awakening and rumbling for almost 8 months, and the eruptions were slowly growing more intense. These individuals had set up camp in the evacuation zone, either hoping to capture spectacular footage, to continue working in their fields, or were simply doing their job. This decision proved tragic. Edited largely in chronological order, the shocking and often haunting footage in this tribute (collected across almost 7 years of personal research) tells the story of what happened, and is complemented by Olivier Floro’s gorgeous music for the documentary ‘Face Au Volcan Tueur’. Dedicated to Katia and Maurice Krafft, Harry Glicken, 16 members of the mass media, 12 firefighters, 4 taxi drivers, 4 locals, 2 police officers and 2 council workers who all perished on that day. Special thanks to Olivier Floro, as well as Fred and Barthélémy Fouga for giving me permission to use the music. You can find their work here ( and here ( I do not own any of the footage or music utilized in this tribute, and although the sources featured and the links to them are quite obscure and many may be defunct, I have credited all where possible. I am not monetizing this in any way, but rather utilizing it to educate and commentate on a historic event under an artistic lens. It falls under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976.