Updated on: July 24, 2026 / 7:08 AM EDT
/ CBS/AFP
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A Swiss man died after losing consciousness hiking up Mount Fuji, authorities said on Friday, marking the second fatality in one week on the scenic but potentially dangerous mountain.Rescuers separately managed to save a 99-year-old woman, however, after she was injured on the mountain and sheltered in a hut overnight.Japan's highest mountain was once a peaceful pilgrimage site but has become a popular target for hikers — some of whom lack the stamina required for the five-to-10 hour trek up and down.Japan has tightened access rules on the 12,388-foot volcano in response to heavy tourism, crowding and a series of safety incidents involving poorly equipped climbers, some of them foreign tourists. Some hikers trample and even build campfires on the fragile alpine landscape, scattering drink bottles, plastic bags and candy wrappers. Visitors ignore warnings about subzero temperatures and show up in shorts and sandals, leaving them to fall ill and even try to summon taxis for rescue. Police told AFP that the 58-year-old Swiss man, who had fallen unconscious during the hike, was resuscitated and taken to hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.The Swiss assisted dying company Exit identified the man as managing director Bernhard Sutter, saying in a statement that he died after a medical emergency while on a family vacation in Japan."Bernhard had strong family ties to Japan," the company said in a statement. "Exit's condolences go to his wife and young family."
