Heavy snow derails normal life in northern Japan

ISTANBUL

Heavy snowfall crippled normal life and transportation in northern Japan as well as the western coast of the country, leaving thousands of travelers stranded, the Japan Times reported on Monday.

Severe weather dumped record amounts of snow in the city of Sapporo, capital of the northernmost Hokkaido prefecture, with snow depths reaching 111 centimeters (43.7 inches).

Hokkaido Railway said that over 500 of its train services were canceled on Sunday, affecting nearly 130,000 people, according to Kyodo News.

The company said its train services in the Sapporo area were resumed on Monday afternoon after tracks were cleared of snow.

At New Chitose Airport in Sapporo, nearly 7,000 people were stranded overnight on Sunday as 56 flights were canceled due to heavy snow, Hokkaido Airports said.

Hokkaido’s national express, the Do-O Expressway, was also closed in some parts due to the hazardous road conditions across the region, making transportation increasingly difficult.

Snowfall along Japan’s western coast remained above average, with accumulation reaching 4.7 meters (15.4 feet) in parts of northern Aomori prefecture and more than a meter in the cities of Niigata, Yamagata and Sapporo as of Monday noon.

In western Niigata prefecture, the heavy weather has led to the death of a 56-year-old man on Sunday after he apparently fell from the roof of his house while clearing snow.

In western Fukui prefecture, 15 people were injured from snow removal accidents over the past several days, while 32 others were injured in vehicle crashes in nearby Ishikawa prefecture.

On Sunday evening, eight people from Aomori prefecture went missing after going into the mountains, but were later all found safe and uninjured by Monday after a search and rescue mission.

While snowfall in northern parts of the country is expected to ease by Monday afternoon as the cold air shifts east, snow and rain are expected to return on Tuesday, raising the risk of further disruptions.