Snowstorm Leads To 11 Deaths İn Japan

Up to 11 people have been killed in a heavy snowstorm that hit northern and central parts of Japan this week, local media reported Friday.



Weather forecasters warned the severe weather, which has lashed Japan since Wednesday, would continue over the weekend. More than 79 inches (200 centimeters) of snow has fallen in some areas.



The Kyodo news agency said the dead included a 68-year-old man who fell from a garage roof while clearing snow in Niigata prefecture on Wednesday and a woman, 66, who fell into a ditch while removing snow Thursday morning in Semboku, Akita prefecture.



The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper also reported a 79-year-old man and a firefighter, 29, as dying while clearing snow.



Two Chinese crew members are missing around the Oki Islands in Shimane prefecture after their trawler hit a rock early Thursday morning.



In Aichi prefecture, a man died and more than 30 people were injured in snow-related traffic accidents and a number of elderly people were killed on the northern island of Hokkaido and in regions around the Sea of Japan.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Ankara