Singaporean woman and companions airlifted to hospital from Hokkaido mountain

ASAHIKAWA (Japan) — Four climbers, including a Singaporean woman, who went missing this week on snowy Mt Asahidake, the highest peak in Hokkaido, were taken to hospital Thursday (Oct 19) without any life-threatening injuries, police said.

A rescue helicopter winched the four — two Japanese and two foreigners — to safety earlier in the day. They were found alive on Wednesday after going missing the previous day.

The two Japanese — 71-year-old Masahiko Kato from Yokohama and his 65-year-old wife Yumiko — met the 27-year-old Malaysian man and 28-year-old Singaporean woman while climbing the mountain, the police said.

On Tuesday night, Mr Kato called police saying the four had lost their way while descending the 2,291-meter peak. The Singaporean woman called the police on Wednesday morning saying all four were safe but the police were subsequently unable to contact them.

The four spent the night on the mountain before rescue workers found them on Wednesday afternoon by tracking footprints. The temperature was minus 6 C near where they were found as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, with 12cm of snow accumulation. KYODO NEWS

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