In eastern Japan, 4 hikers die near mountain trail after distress call
- The hikers, aged 65-79, likely lost their way along the route leading to and from the 1,896-metre peak in Nasu, police say
- A rescue team was dispatched by local police after they received a call on Friday, but was forced to suspend operations at sunset due to gusty winds
A rescue team was dispatched by local police after they received a call from a man in his 60s at around 12.20pm on Friday saying one of the party could not move due to hypothermia. The four were spotted at three different locations and were confirmed dead where they were found.
The hikers likely lost their way somewhere along the route leading to and from the 1,896-metre (6,620 feet) peak in Nasu, located in the prefecture, the police said.
They have been identified as Seiji Noguchi, 69, Yoshiko Takeishi, 72, and Toshiko Takatsudo, 79, all from Tochigi, as well as Eiji Kimura, a 65-year-old doctor from Osaka, they said.
According to the police, shortly after the initial distress call, they received a second emergency call from another hiker reporting that several people had fallen and could not move while one person had been “pulled up” after a fall. Both callers have made a safe descend, they added.
The rescue team initially headed toward the mountain but was forced to suspend operations at sunset due to inclement weather such as gusty winds, fearing a potential second accident.
