FUKUSHIMA, (Japan): (Bernama-Kyodo) Over 100 people were stranded in two hotels in a hot-spring resort area in Fukushima, northeastern Japan, after a snow avalanche blocked the roads, officials said Monday (Feb 10).
According to Kyodo News Agency, the avalanche occurred at around 4am in the Tsuchiyu Onsen district, located in a mountainous area in the southwest of the city of Fukushima.
The snow covering the road was cleared at around 10.20am, but another snow slip hit the road before noon.
About 160 people were staying or working at the two hotels, one of which is a traditional Japanese inn, according to the authorities. No one was trapped in the first snow slide.
Fukushima Prefecture is one of many areas in Japan that have been hit by heavy snowfall since last week.
JR East, meanwhile, resumed service in the morning on a section between Fukushima and Shinjo stations on the Yamagata Shinkansen Line that was suspended due to the derailment of a snow removal vehicle. - Bernama-Kyodo
