More than 100 people were left stranded in hotels in a Japanese resort after an avalanche hit a mountain region.
The snowslide struck the Tsuchiyu Onsen hot spring resort at about 4am local time on Monday (February 10), according to reports.
Tsuchiyu Onsen is in Japan‘s Fukushima prefecture, which has seen heavy snowfall along with large parts of the east Asian country in recent days.
Four hundred schools have been forced to close by the snow with 13 of the country’s 47 prefectures subject to a weather alert, according to Kyodo News.
The record snowfall has caused travel chaos, with trains and planes cancelled as swathes of Japan lie under a thick blanket of snow.
Twenty centimetres of snow was recorded in the village of Shirakawago in Gifu prefecture as of 8pm GMT on Tuesday.
In a district of Toyama, 16cm was recorded while 12cm was observed in Tomakomai on Japan’s northernmost island, Hokkaido.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said last Wednesday that two powerful low pressure systems were moving along both sides of the Japanese archipelago, bringing freezing cold air.
Hokkaido’s government said record-breaking snowfall was observed especially in eastern areas of the island, including Obihiro and Kushiro, where city offices received dozens of calls for help from drivers stuck in the snow.
In Obihiro city on Hokkaido 4ft (1.2m) of snow had built up in 12 hours. Public broadcaster NHK said the figure represented the highest amount recorded in the country.
Cold weather also brought heavy snowfall to areas facing the Sea of Japan and western parts of the country. Snow has been forecast to continue into the weekend.
The snow has also forced post offices to close as well as other services, delaying deliveries in Hokkaido and to destinations across Japan.
Hokkaido officials urged locals and visitors to carry spades and warm clothes in their vehicles in case they get stuck in the snow.