Relax - Avalanche kills 3 in Japanese hot spring resort

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AKITA - One man and two women were killed by an avalanche that occurred around 5pm Wednesday at a hot spring resort in Semboku, Akita Prefecture, according to police.

The 40-metre-wide avalanche struck a bedrock bathing area about 300 metres from a Japanese-style inn at Tamagawa Onsen, the police said.

The victims were Etsuko Kusakai, 63, of Izumi Ward, Yokohama; Yoko Masukawa, 65, of Nakano Ward, Tokyo; and Yuzuru Saito, 59, of Semboku. All three were staying at the inn.

In the area where the avalanche hit, three tents set up by the inn for bathers were buried under 1.5 metres of snow.

Kusakai and Masukawa died of chest compression, while Saito died of suffocation due to burns in her respiratory tract caused by geothermal heat.

Though it was unlikely there were other victims, 55 police officers searched the accident site Thursday morning.

Tamagawa Onsen is located in Towada-Hachimantai National Park. Many cancer patients visit the resort hoping to enjoy therapeutic effects from the hot spring.

After the avalanche, two guests bathing in the same area reported the accident to the inn. They were also buried by the snow, but managed to dig themselves out on their own.

Police search the site where the avalanche struck.

Staff members of the inn dug the three victims out of the snow and attempted to revive them with cardiac massages at the site, and then at the inn with an automated external defibrillator. The victims were confirmed dead after being transported to a hospital.

An avalanche warning for Akita Prefecture had been issued since Monday. On Wednesday, heavy snow and strong winds pummeled areas on the Sea of Japan coast in northern and western Japan.

Takeshi Ito, professor emeritus at the Akita National College of Technology, said the accident may have been caused by a surface avalanche, which occurs when a fresh layer of snow slides over a compressed layer.

"The speed of surface avalanches can sometimes exceed 100 kilometres per hour. Their destructive force is considerable," Ito said.

According to the inn, guests are permitted to use the bedrock bath year-round. Although the inn asks guests to refrain from nighttime bathing, as it becomes dark after 4pm, regular visitors prefer bathing at night because the area is less crowded.

Avalanche kills 3 in Japanese hot spring resort

Yomiuri Shimbun, ANN | Fri, Feb 3 2012

Two other guests at the inn also reported being buried by the snow, but managed to dig themselves out.

Avalanche kills 3 in Japanese hot spring resort

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