Two men died after falling Sunday from near the summit of Mount Fuji along with two other members of a group engaged in winter alpine training, local police said Monday.
During the rescue operation Sunday, a helicopter accidentally dropped one of the climbers from 3 meters in the air, the city of Shizuoka said separately.
The four, all residents of Kyoto Prefecture, appear to have fallen together as they were all attached by rope, according to the police.
Two men, believed to be Toshiaki Yano, 61, and Yoshiaki Takahashi, 55, were confirmed dead Monday after being taken separately to a hospital in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, by helicopter, said the police and a climbers' organization to which they belonged.
A police rescue team discovered the man believed to be Takahashi on Monday morning. The man believed to be Yano was found Sunday.
The two other members — Kazuhiko Hata, 58, and Ai Miyazaki, 34 — were transported to a hospital Sunday night, they said.
