Japan visitors warned over severe May weather after hiker from Hong Kong dies

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One of the two hikers from Hong Kong stranded in Japan’s rugged Northern Alps died after severe weather hampered rescue efforts, according to reports.

The pair, aged 30 and 22, were scaling Mount Okuhotaka – Japan’s third-highest peak – when they became stranded on Sunday at around 4pm local time. The rescue teams were only able to reach the hikers two days later and save one. The younger of the two hikers died due to disruptive weather.

The death prompted mountaineering experts to issue a warning against taking hikes in May when the weather is highly unstable.

The 22-year-old, who lived in Tokyo, first contacted the Hotakadake Sanso mountain hut in Takayama in Gifu prefecture, saying they were unable to move due to the worsening weather.

Video shows the moment hikers were rescued (chunichi)

They had been climbing the Gendarme, a steep 3,163-metre rocky ridge west of the Okuhotaka summit.

The two hikers reportedly ran out of food as they remained stranded for hours in cold temperatures, fog, strong winds and rain.

File: At least 12 climbers died in Japan over a long weekend of public holidays during which mountaineers traditionally flock to difficult peaks in 2014 in Mount Okuhotaka-dake in the Japanese Alps near Kamikochi, Japan. (AFP/Getty)

Initial rescue efforts on Monday were thwarted by gale-force winds and heavy rain, with poor visibility grounding helicopters.

A renewed operation on Tuesday saw Gifu prefecture police dispatch a four-member rescue team, supported by a disaster prevention helicopter from neighbouring Nagano.

The helicopter rescued the 30-year-old at around 10.30am, and he was taken to the hospital for treatment.

The 22-year-old, who had already lost consciousness by the time rescuers reached the site, was later pronounced dead.

Pictures later released on social media showed the hikers stranded in steep and treacherous terrain as thick fog surrounded the snowy mountain. A hiker, partially visible in the picture, was seen wearing proper hiking gear, including boots, a waterproof jacket and pants fitted with a carabiner.

In Hong Kong, authorities said they had contacted the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese consulate in Nagoya, with officers deployed to assist the families. The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Tokyo is also coordinating with local authorities.

Rescuers descend on the mountain to rescue the hikers (Chunichi News)

The incident comes as the Japan Meteorological Agency warned earlier this week of severe weather, including lightning, violent gusts and hail in eastern Japan, along with risks of landslides and flooding in some areas.

It said the severe weather began on Sunday – when the hikers became stuck – as a low-pressure system was moving northeast across the centre of the Sea of Japan.

Mountaineering expert Chung Kin-man told a Japanese radio programme that May is usually a dangerous season as it is the transition period from spring to summer. He said the weather on peaks could become highly unstable, making the climbs risky if not impossible.

“A seemingly easy terrain can instantly become extremely dangerous if the weather suddenly changes or the temperature drops sharply,” he said, according to a report.

In 2014, at least 12 hikers died across Japan’s Northern Alps in separate incidents during a long weekend of public holidays in the same month. Mountaineers flock to the difficult peaks of Japan, taking advantage of the long break during Golden Week holiday, a cluster of four national holidays that fall within about a week,