THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
January 30, 2020 at 18:45 JST
SHIMUKAPPU, Hokkaido--A French man was feared dead after an avalanche hit a group of eight people at a ski resort here around 3:50 p.m. on Jan. 30, police and fire department officials said.
The man in his 40s has stopped breathing and was showing no signs of life, the officials said.
The others in the group, both men and women, are also believed to be French.
The avalanche occurred at the Tomamu ski resort in an area that is off-limits to skiers. Signs and netting mark off the boundaries of the ski trails, but the group still went outside the designated zone, according to the officials.
One member of the group managed to reach the resort and report the avalanche to the ski patrol, Hokkaido police said.
The width of the avalanche was 3 to 4 meters while its length was about 50 meters, they said.
According to the resort, the eight members came from Furano to Shimukappu village for a one-day trip.
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An avalanche occurs over a stream in Hokkaido on March 2017. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
