New Delhi, Dec 26: Heavy snowfall in wide parts of Japan has caused 17 fatalities, more than 90 injuries, and the loss of power in hundreds of houses.
Since last week, strong winter fronts have dropped a lot of snow in northern regions, stranding hundreds of cars on the roads, holding up deliveries, and killing 11 people by Saturday. By Monday morning, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported that 17 people had died and 93 people had been injured as a result of more snowfall over the Christmas holiday. Many of them were buried beneath high mounds of snow that were sliding off rooftops or had fallen while clearing snow off the roofs.
Municipal administrations in the snow-covered areas asked locals to exercise caution and avoid working alone when clearing snow.
In Yamagata prefecture’s Nagai City, around 300 kilometres (180 miles) north of Tokyo, where snow piled up higher than 80 centimetres (2.6 feet), a woman in her 70s was discovered dead trapped beneath a heavy pile of rooftop snow that unexpectedly fell on her, according to the disaster management agency.
According to the economy and industry ministry, a transmission tower for electrical power was destroyed by heavy snow on Japan’s northernmost main island, cutting off energy to nearly 20,000 homes on Christmas morning. However, later that day, most districts had their power restored.
According to the transportation ministry, Dozens of trains and flights were also suspended in northern Japan through Sunday, but services have since mostly resumed.
