Heavy snowfalls that have plagued Japan since December 17 have killed at least eight people and injured 45 across the country.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has recorded a total of eight deaths and 45 injuries in five prefectures – Hokkaido, Akita, Yamagata, Nigata and Ishikawa – as of Friday, according to NHK television.
The storm was mainly felt along the Sea of Japan coast, but regions where snowfall is not common, such as the Pacific Ocean shores of the island of Shikoku, were also affected by snow.
On December 20, a 20-year-old woman was found dead in a car buried by snow in the city of Kashiwazaki, Nigata Prefecture. In addition, in the cities of Nagaoka, Kashiwazaki and Ojiya, elderly people over 80 years of age died while clearing snow from rooftops.
Among the 45 people affected in six prefectures, 19 of them were seriously injured by bone fractures during snow removal work or ladder accidents.
In addition, due to the severe storm, hundreds of vehicles were trapped on a major highway through the city of Kashiwazaki on Tuesday, where traffic jams affected up to 800 vehicles stuck on a 30-kilometer stretch of road.
Earlier in the day, power outages also occurred in at least 20,000 of Nigata due to winter weather. Authorities have urged the public to take precautionary measures and avoid problems on the roads.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
