Japanese authorities have rescued one of two Hong Kong hikers stranded on treacherous slopes in the country’s Northern Alps.
Gifu Prefecture police dispatched a four-member rescue team, comprising police officers and civilian experts, from the mountain base at dawn on Tuesday in an attempt to reach the duo on foot, according to local media.
A disaster prevention helicopter from neighbouring Nagano Prefecture eventually rescued one of the men before 10.30am local time, who was later transported to a hospital.
The other man has not yet been rescued, according to Japanese media.
The incident was first reported at 4.10pm on Sunday, when a 22-year-old Hong Kong resident living in Tokyo contacted the Hotakadake Sanso mountain hut in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, saying that he and his 30-year-old hiking partner from Hong Kong were stranded due to deteriorating weather.
The man has been rescued and taken to hospital. Photo: Handout
The duo were scaling the Gendarme, a notoriously rocky ridge sitting at an altitude of 3,163 metres (10,377 feet), according to local media.