Heavy snow hits northwestern Japan, five killed

A spell of heavy snow starting from Wednesday in northwestern Japan has killed five people, according to Kyoto News.

The snowfall reached 150-centimeter depth in mountainous areas in Niigata and Fukui prefectures. Five people in Fukui, Niigata and Toyama prefectures died of accidents while attempting to remove the snow.

Traffic was disrupted and a number of trains connecting these areas with Osaka and Aichi prefectures were canceled. Around 10, 000 households suffered from blackouts.

The adverse weather condition is likely to continue until Friday morning in extensive regions in northern and western Japan, said the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Source: Xinhua