THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
July 14, 2023 at 18:05 JST
Mount Adatarayama viewed from Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
INAWASHIRO, Fukushima Prefecture--A 73-year-old man was found dead on July 13 near the foot of a famed mountain in an area where toxic volcanic gas was detected.
Rescue workers found the body of the man, who was visiting Mount Adatarayama from Tokyo, at around 1:50 p.m. The body shows no obvious signs of injury, according to police.
The man’s wife called Tokyo police the night before to report that she had lost contact with her husband.
The area is off-limits to hikers because of high levels of hazardous hydrogen sulfide gas detected.
Police suspect that the man inhaled a lethal concentration of the toxic fumes.
Although named as an active volcano, Adatarayama is currently classified under the lowest Level 1 in the country’s one-to-five scale on the volcanic alert system.
Four climbers were killed after inhaling poisonous volcanic gas on the mountain in 1997.
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