Death toll from heavy snow in Japan hits 30
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A shop employee shovels the snow in front of a shop in Aomori prefecture on Jan 30.
PHOTO: AFP
Tokyo - Unusually heavy snow in Japan
The authorities recorded up to 4.5m of snowfall in parts of the worst-hit northern region of Aomori, where many of the deaths took place, including of a 91-year-old woman whose body was found beneath a 3m pile of snow outside her house.
A powerful cold air mass has resulted in heavy snow along the Sea of Japan coast in recent weeks, with some central and northern areas of the main Honshu island seeing more than double the usual volumes.
The central government has deployed troops to help the local authorities cope and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held a special Cabinet-level meeting on Feb 3 to instruct ministers to do all they can to prevent further deaths and accidents.
Television images showed residents having to walk through trenches dug into the heavy snow, while drivers struggled to avoid their vehicles getting stuck.
Many local schools were closed and public transport services had been suspended in some areas.
The authorities must prioritise snow removal, a resident of Aomori city, the regional capital, told local broadcaster RAB on Feb 3 after he helped to extract a stuck van.
“They must block traffic from the morning and clear snow. Otherwise, there is no solution to this,” the man told RAB.
The authorities were deploying trucks and heavy machinery to attempt to shift the snow, but had not been able to keep up with the unending precipitation, officials said.
Walls of snow as high as 1.8m in Aomori city prevented even government officials from reporting to work, regional governor Soichiro Miyashita said at a press conference.
“The snow is so heavy around the regional government building that even our staff cannot convene, even if we were to call emergency meetings,” he added.
Between Jan 20 and Feb 3, 30 people have died as a result of the heavy snow, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Among them was Ms Kina Jin, 91, whose body was found under a pile of snow at her home in Ajigasawa, Aomori, a local police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Police believe snow from her rooftop fell on her. The cause of her death was suffocation, the official said. An aluminium shovel was found next to her body.
“As it gets warmer, the accumulated snow melts and falls. It depends on the volume (of snow) and the temperature. Under the rooftop is a dangerous place,” the official said.
Mr Miyashita said on Feb 2 that he had asked Japan’s military to offer disaster relief.
He said he asked troops to help the region’s elderly who live alone and need help clearing snow.
“The danger of life-threatening incidents, such as fatal accidents due to falling snow from the roofs or collapsing buildings, is imminent,” he said at the press conference.
A local elderly woman thanked troops on Feb 2 after they cleared snow from her home in Aomori city.
“If they hadn’t come, my house would have collapsed either today or tomorrow,” she told local broadcaster ATV. AFP
