
Mt. Yotei is seen in April 2019.
16:27 JST, January 14, 2023
The woman caught in an avalanche in Hokkaido on Friday has been confirmed dead.
According to the Kutchan Police Station and a local fire station, two guides and eight foreign tourists were doing backcountry skiing at Mt. Yotei at the time of the incident. The tourists followed the guides when the woman got off course and was engulfed by the avalanche.
Around 2:25 p.m., local police received an emergency call about the incident from a foreign tourist on the mountain in the town of Kutchan.
A helicopter rescue team from the Hokkaido prefectural police transported the woman to a hospital, where she was confirmed dead.
The accident site was on the 1,898-meter-high mountain’s Hirafu climbing course.
Together with the neighboring town of Niseko, the area forms a ski resort where many foreign tourists visit to ski on good-quality powder snow.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency’s Sapporo Regional Headquarters, Friday’s high temperature in the town of Kutchan was 8 C, equivalent to warm weather typically experienced in early April. Since Thursday, avalanche warnings had been issued in the area.
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Earthquake Hits with Epicenter in Central Tokyo; No Tsunami Warning
-
Princess Aiko Delivers First Address During Official Duty; Daughter of Emperor and Empress Speaks at Opening of International Medical Conference
-
Tokyo Experiences Temperatures Exceeding 30 C for 1st Time This Year; Other Parts of Japan also See Soaring Temperatures
-
2025 Expo Osaka: Expo Fails to Achieve Pledge of Line-Free Event; Smartphone Data Shows Particular Crowding at East Gate
-
Suspicious Plastic Bottle Containing Black Liquid Found on Tokaido Shinkansen Train; Police Working to Identify Contents
JN ACCESS RANKING
-
Rents Mark 30-Year-High Rate of Rise; Decrease in Disposable Income May Dampen Personal Consumption
-
Japanese Govt Mulls Raising Number of Cars to be Imported Under Simplified Screen System in U.S. Tariff Negotiations
-
Japan Must Boost Its ‘Indispensability,’ Urges JETRO Chair; Convince United States That Cooperation Will Be Beneficial
-
Japan Presses U.S. to Scrap 25% Auto Tariffs as Ishiba Refuses Partial Trade Deal; No Deal Without ‘Total Rollback’
-
ADB to Discuss Ending Loans to China Following Demand by U.S., ADB President Says