One Hong Kong hiker has died, and another one survived after being rescued from a Japanese mountain, according to media reports.
Japanese TV Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting (CBC) reported on Tuesday afternoon that two men, believed to be Chinese nationals, were stranded on Mount Okuhotaka, Japan’s third-highest peak, resulting in one fatality.
According to CBC, Japanese police received a report on Sunday that a 22-year-old man, who lived in Tokyo, and a 30-year-old man were stuck on Mount Okuhotaka – the highest peak of the Hida Mountains – in Gifu Prefecture due to poor weather conditions.
The two were reportedly trapped at a 3,163-metre rocky ridge known as “Gendarme,” located west of the Mount Okuhotaka summit.
Earlier search and rescue operations were called off due to persistent bad weather, CBC reported. “A search operation by a Nagano Prefecture disaster relief helicopter began this morning, and both individuals were recovered by 3pm,” it said.
The 30-year-old was sent to hospital in a conscious state and survived, but the 22-year-old was pronounced dead.
Some Threads users said on Monday that two Hong Kong residents were stranded in the Hida Mountains, also known as the Northern Japan Alps, the city’s local media said on Tuesday.
The Hong Kong Immigration Department told local media on Monday that it had received requests for assistance regarding the incident.
The department told HKFP on Tuesday that it had sent staff to accompany the victims’ families to Japan to provide assistance.
