Avalanche In Japan: Several High School Students Feared Dead In Tochigi Prefecture

At least six Japanese high school students are feared dead after an avalanche hit a ski resort north of Tokyo on Monday, local officials said. The incident occurred in Tochigi prefecture while the students were taking mountain-climbing lessons in Nasu town, about 75 miles north of the Japanese capital.

About 50 students from seven high schools had participated in the mountaineering trip when the avalanche hit Nasuonsen Family Ski Resort, according to authorities in Tochigi. Two students and one teacher were injured, Japan’s Kyodo News reported, citing fire department officials. Two students and an instructor were missing, according to reports.

Search and rescue operations have been launched with emergency personnel sifting through the area to determine whether more people are buried under the snow, Japan’s national broadcaster NHK reported.

The mountain climbing trip that started Saturday was due to end around noon, an official from one of the schools told Kyodo.

The resort reportedly has three ski runs and is popular among families and beginners.

Television footage from NHK showed rescue operations being carried and the accident area being cordoned off.

Japan often receives large amounts of snow that increase the risk of avalanches.

Last month, a New Zealand man snowboarding at the Japanese island of Hokkaido was killed after being swept away by an avalanche. The incident happened when he and his friends were snowboarding in an off-limits area near the ski slope. The area was reported to have been hit with several avalanches in the past.

In January 2015, at least four people died in multiple avalanches across Japan after heavy snowfall and high winds increased danger level. Among those dead were two men from Argentina.

In February 2012, three people were killed in an avalanche in the northern Japanese prefecture of Akita following snowstorms in months leading up to the accident.