After the United States, Japan. Seventeen people have died in the past ten days in Japan, according to an interim report from the Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency on Monday. In addition, 90 people were injured.
An intense storm ripped through the northern parts of the country and brought snowfall three times the seasonal average, leaving thousands of people without power.
Buried under the snow that fell from the roofs
More bad weather over the Christmas weekend brought the death toll from 11 on Saturday to 17 on Monday, Sky News reports. Snow has fallen hard in recent days on the main island of Honshu, along the Sea of Japan, as well as on the large northern island of Hokkaido.
Most of those who died fell while shoveling snow from roofs or were buried under thick piles of snow sliding from roofs. Councils have asked residents to be careful during snow removal operations and not work alone.
The Japanese weather agency has advised residents of the affected areas not to take the road as vehicles have been blocked. The snowy episode in Japan should decrease in intensity as of this Monday, according to the JMA.
Source: BFM TV
