Heavy snow in Japan leaves 17 dead, dozens injured

Heavy snow has hit large areas of Japan, killing 17 people, injuring more than 90 and knocking out power to hundreds of homes, disaster management officials said on Monday.

A powerful winter front has brought heavy snow to northern regions since last week, stranded hundreds of vehicles on highways, delayed delivery services and killed 11 people by Saturday.The Fire Department said on Christmas weekend. More snow fell and by Monday morning, 17 people had been killed and 93 injured. Many of them had fallen while clearing snow from their roofs or were buried under thick piles of snow that had slid off their roofs.

Municipalities in areas where it snowed urged residents to be vigilant during snow removal operations and not to work alone.

A woman in her 70s was found dead on Saturday in Nagai, Yamagata Prefecture, about 280 miles north of Tokyo, buried under a thick pile of snow on her rooftop with more than 2.6 feet of snow, according to the Disaster Management Agency. I was.

In Niigata, which is known for growing rice, some makers of mochi, a staple of the New Year’s meal, have experienced delivery delays and said the mochi may not arrive in time for customers.

Many parts of Tohoku Japan reported three times the average snowfall for the season.

According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, heavy snow knocked down a power pylon on the northernmost tip of Japan’s main island, cutting power to about 20,000 homes on Christmas morning, but power was restored to most areas later in the day.

Dozens of trains and planes were also suspended in northern Japan until Sunday, but most operations have since resumed, according to the Ministry of Transport.