An avalanche in a ski resort on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido hit a group of eight foreign skiers Thursday, with at least one likely killed.
The avalanche occurred when the group was skiing outside of a designated route near the Tomamu ski area in central Hokkaido, the nearby Shimukappu village office announced.
This aerial photo from February 10, 2009 shows the Tomamu ski area in the village of Shimukappu in central Hokkaido in northern Japan. An avalanche occurred in the ski area on Thursday, January 30, 2020 and hit a group of eight foreign skiers. (Kyodo news via AP)
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A skier who escaped from the snow called the police and asked for help, said village official Atsushi Tada. The caller said one of them, a Frenchman in his forties, was feared dead, but six others survived, although no further details about their condition were known.
An ambulance waits while journalists gather in the foreground at Tomamu Ski Resort in Shimukappu Village in central Hokkaido, northern Japan, Thursday evening, January 30, 2020. An avalanche in the ski area hit a group of eight foreign skiers on Thursday. (Yohei Fukai / Kyodo News via AP)
Rescuers from the Hokkaido police were expected to leave to the rescue, although the risk of another avalanche could hamper the operation.
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Tada said nationalities and other details of the seven survivors were not known.
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