In the northern Japanese city of Sapporo, Hokkaido, accumulated snow that fell from a roof buried three men and left one of them dead.
Police say the snow fell from the roof of a home renovation company warehouse at around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
The three men who were buried were rescued and taken to hospital, but a 69-year-old employee later died. The two other men in their 70s are expected to survive.
Four people were reportedly working on the rooftop at the time to remove the accumulated snow.
One employee who was rescued said snow accumulation on the roof was about a meter. The four were shoveling side by side when the snow suddenly fell.
The employee said the warehouse had collapsed in the past due to the weight of snow, so they did not want such an accident to happen again. The person is in a state of shock.
Police are investigating the circumstances behind the accident.
AloJapan.com