An avalanche hit a group of backcountry skiers, believed to be foreigners, on a mountain in Japan's Hokkaido on Monday, leaving two of them dead, police said.
Rescue authorities received an emergency call around 11 a.m. reporting that individuals had been struck by an avalanche on Mt. Yotei, which stands at 1,898 meters and spans towns including Kutchan and Niseko.
The snowslip hit three people of the party of six on the northern slope, slightly above the middle point between the peak and the foot of the mountain, they said.
A man who survived the hit reported pain around his shoulder. He and the remaining three people returned from the mountain shortly after 1:30 p.m., informing authorities that the avalanche occurred around 10 a.m.
An avalanche alert was not in effect for Mt. Yotei around the time of the disaster, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency's Sapporo Regional Headquarters.
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