Dozens of people have died, including two Australians, as record-breaking snowfall blankets the north
Dozens of people have died in Japan after record-breaking snowfall blanketed northern regions of the country, while officials warned that warmer temperatures could trigger a new wave of accidents.
Authorities said 35 people had died in snow-related incidents across Japan since 20 January, with almost 400 injured, 126 of them seriously. Most of the deaths were among people who fell while trying to clear snow from their roofs or around their homes.
Perilous conditions created by heavy snowfall have also affected foreign travellers. On Wednesday, a 27-year-old man from Melbourne, identified by the ABC as Michael Hurst, died after collapsing and falling while skiing with several other people at the ski resort where he worked in Niseko on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido.
His death came days after a 22-year-old woman from Queensland – identified by Australian media as Brooke Day – died at a resort in Nagano prefecture after her backpack got caught in a ski lift and she was left hanging mid-air.
