Eight foreigners caught in avalanche on Japan’s Hokkaido, one unconscious

Earlier media reports suggested that the whole group was French, with one unconscious man in ‘cardiopulmonary arrest’

The group of six men and two women was skiing off-piste, when the avalanche struck midafternoon at the Tomamu resort

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A member of a safety patrol skis on a slope in western Japan. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:36pm, 30 Jan 2020Updated: 10:07pm, 30 Jan 2020

Eight foreign nationals were caught up in an avalanche at a ski resort on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido on Thursday, one of whom was unconscious, police said.

Akihiro Hirakawa, deputy chief of the Furano police station, could not confirm earlier media reports that the whole group was French, or that the unconscious man was in cardiopulmonary arrest – a term commonly used in Japan before a doctor formally confirms death.

Public broadcaster NHK said the unconscious man appeared to be in a critical condition while none of the other seven had serious injuries.

The group of six men and two women was skiing off-piste, when the avalanche struck midafternoon at the Tomamu resort. One of them, who managed to get out of the avalanche, descended the mountain before making an emergency call in Shimukappu at around 3:50pm local time.

Tourists ride a ski lift at a winter resort. Photo: Xinhua

“One man left the group to seek help from the ski patrol after the avalanche. He was French,” Hirakawa said. “Seven people remain at the scene and we’ve spoken with one by mobile phone. One is unconscious.”