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4 killed in mountain accidents over the weekend

12 Comments

Four people died on mountains in Japan over the weekend. Three died in avalanches while a fourth was found dead on Mt Fuji, police said.

Acording to police and rescue officials, the body of a 56-year-old woman was found on Mt Shirouma in Nagano Prefecture on Sunday morning. Fuji TV reported that she was one of a group of six climbers who were hit by an avalanche at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Two other climbers, aged 50 and 32, also went missing in the avalanche. Police said the body of the 50-year-old was found Sunday.

Meanwhile, a 57-year-old man was found dead on Mt Yatsugatake which straddles Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures, Fuji reported. He had been reported missing by his family on Saturday afternoon after he failed to return from the mountain.

Also Sunday, the body of a man was found on the 7th station of Mount Fuji. Police said it appears he slipped and hit his head.

The mountains are full of climbers for Golden Week and authorities are issuing warnings to climbers to watch out for avalanches caused by melting snow.

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12 Comments
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This is probably the most dangerous season for climbing over 1000 or 1500 m mts. It is just getting warm enough for hiking, but up top, the snows aren't gone yet, and ppl don't realize that. Never mind the melting and ease of avalanching, ppl just aren't used to hiking in snow and ice and will make stupid mistakes.

noriyosan- I think it is good we have public parks and administer them via gov for all ppl, keeping the forest and animals protected and keeping it all available for ppl to hike. "Closing" it is not really realistic, as it is, well, a mountain. For emergency services in our cities, in our oceans, we don't require deposits for walking down the street or taking a swim, and most of us recognize the value of helping our fellow man, and want to live in a society that does so. Should we have had a deposit for ppl silly enough to live on the coast of Tohoku and get earthquaked?

Further more, the revenue made from ppl going there really offsets emergency services. There are all kinds of hotels, trains, omiyage, restaurants, etc, and those get taxed.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Nessie-

Hakuba is the name of the ski resort itself. Shirouma Dake is the actual name of the mt. Same kanji though, and since the ski resort is more well-known, most ppl don't know the real name of the mt.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

It is just getting warm enough for hiking, but up top, the snows aren't gone yet, and ppl don't realize that.

And people dress for snow and get rain, which is more dangerous.

And thank you, Lowly, for the information. Today I learned.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Freedom of choice is not freedom to make a bad decision.

That's where you're wrong.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

noriyosan,

I guess it is my money. The gov kind of takes it from me and does what they feel like. But I am happy to live in a society where some of that money goes to emergency services for all. Sure, education and training are also important. But we're talking about 150,000,000 ppl here, or whatever. It's not so easy. And again, there are lots of taxes from all the tourism around mts.

And anyway you are never going to close all the rivers and all the mountains. What a horrible world that would be. 1984

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Mt. Shirouma

Not Mt. Hakuba?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I was up in the mountains this weekend (as I always am). Weather has been very changeable, and way WAY colder than the city.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

RIP. Not much you can do about an avalanche besides hoping to avoid one, or not hiking in the off-season altogether. The Mt. Fuji incident? I'm not sure. In any case, all these people wanted to do was go hiking, and they died. Tragic result.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I can't imagine trying to climb Mt. Fuji at this time of year. It's still very dangerous up there with all the snow.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I feel sorry for their families loss. I pray that people will be safer now when climbing a mountain around this season

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Lowly - it is your money! Money to rescue people who have made bad decisions could be used to educate public school students such as swim lessons so tragedies don't happen in the rivers this summer.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

As the story goes, "Who is the adult here? The climber or the park supervisor?" Close the climbing and quit wasting taxpayers' money or require a 1,000,000 yen deposit PER PERSON to climb in the "non-climbing season." Freedom of choice is not freedom to make a bad decision.

-8 ( +1 / -9 )

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