TOKYO – Around 7,000 people were forced to spend the night at Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport on Jan 25 as 56 flights connecting the northern Japan hub with other major cities were cancelled amid heavy snow, the operator Hokkaido Airports said.
Sapporo logged 54cm of snowfall in the 24 hours through 7pm on Jan 25, a record high for January, according to the Hokkaido government.
Over 500 train services were cancelled on Jan 25 as snow was removed, including those serving New Chitose Airport and linking Sapporo with Asahikawa and Hakodate, affecting about 130,000 people, Hokkaido Railway said.
Some train services continued to be suspended on Jan 26.
In Sapporo, an underground walkway near Sapporo Station remained open overnight for those facing difficulties getting home, with approximately 340 people having sheltered there as at 5.30am on Jan 25.
Eight men were reported missing on the night of Jan 25 but were found the following morning at around 9.40am while descending a mountain in Hirakawa, Aomori prefecture, on their snowmobiles.
There were no reports of injuries or ill health.
According to local police, the eight men, believed to be snowmobiling enthusiasts from the north-eastern prefecture, left their homes on the morning of Jan 25.
One had contacted his family to say they were at a ranch before communication was temporarily lost. KYODO NEWS
AloJapan.com