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Police and emergency rescue personnel said Thursday that the bodies of a man and woman were found on the slope of Mt Hotaka in the Northern Alps in Nagano Prefecture late Wednesday afternoon. Police believe the two slipped and fell down the mountain while hiking, Fuji TV reported.
Police said that shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday, they received a call from a friend of the two hikers, saying that they had not yet returned from the mountain.
Rescue teams specializing in mountain disaster prevention and response immediately began searching for the two and found them at around 7:30 p.m. on the south side of the mountain, approximately 200 meters below a steep ridge.
According to police, the two were already dead when search teams found them, and based on reports from the scene, officials believe that the two may have fallen from the ridge.
The two hikers were a man in his 70s and a woman in her 60s from Kanagawa Prefecture, police said.
© Japan Today
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Fadamor
... but seeing as it's Summer...
@ReformedBasher, I doubt there was any unnecessary risk taking. It was probably something simple like one of the two encountering medical distress and the other getting pulled along while they tried to assist.
macman2014
I have never climbed any mountains but am interested in doing so because many people say it is beyond the word when they reach to the top. It is surely risky but people feel much achivement.
It is sad news but climbing mountains is like life itself.
Seawolf
zichi - went there last year, climbing from the front, and going/running down from Okuhotaka-Karasuzawa.http://sankei.jp.msn.com/affairs/news/140626/dst14062601240001-n1.htmsays, they where found near Kita-hotaka, not the easiest spot, and it mentions snow as well. Wonder wether they had spikes. Anyway, the whole mountain range is full of crumbling stone, especially so in spring I would guess...
Nessie
Go for it, Macman! There are plenty of manageable peaks all over Japan. There's nothing like being out in the hills. Incidents like this are pretty rare, and it's usually clear when you're pushing the envelope. No shame in turning around if it gets too tough.
ReformedBasher
Going to assume they fell from "that" place.
Hiking is great but a) know your limits and b) there's no need to mimic or outdo others.
Personally I prefer much less famous places, or at least off season.