4 die, 26 injured in heavy snow in Japan

According to data compiled by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency as of Friday afternoon, one person died in each of the cities of Uonuma and Sado and two in the city of Nagaoka, all in the central prefecture of Niigata.

The injuries were reported in prefectures including Aomori in northeastern Japan and Kyoto in western Japan. Of the total, 10 people were seriously injured, and 16 suffered minor injuries.

Of the four fatalities, the victim in Uonuma, a man in his 50s, died after apparently suffering acute illness while unloading snow from the roof of his house, according to the Niigata prefectural government.

A man in his 50s in Sado died while clearing snow. Of the two victims in Nagaoka, both men in their 70s, one died while ploughing snow and the other while resting during snow removal work.

With a strong winter pressure pattern expected to continue until Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency warned of surges in snowfalls in short periods of time, especially in the Tohoku northeastern region and the Hokuriku and Tokai regions of central Japan.