THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
October 7, 2023 at 14:43 JST
Mount Asahidake in Nasu, Tochigi prefecture (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Rescuers early Oct. 7 recovered the bodies of four climbers who earlier reported they had encountered severe weather-related difficulties on the steepest peak in Tochigi Prefecture.
The two men and two women were found near a trail on 1,896-meter Mount Asahidake in the prefecture’s Yumoto district of Nasu.
Local police received an emergency call around 12:20 p.m. on Oct. 6 from a male climber who said the other man had developed hypothermia and was unable to move.
About 15 minutes later, another climber reported that “several people were stuck,” prompting prefectural police and the fire department to mount a search.
But strong winds of up to 80 meters per second that whipped in the afternoon made it impossible to get a helicopter in the air, hampering the rescue effort.
The Nasushiobara Police Station said it was trying to ascertain how the climbers got into such a critical state before calling the 110 lifeline.
Asahidake, also known as Mount Nasu Hotaka, is the steepest peak in the Nasu mountain range and is popular among mountain climbers.
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