Testimony from survivors of Monday's deadly avalanche suggests that many used newly learned mountaineering skills to survive the disaster before trying to save others.

Seven male students and one teacher from Otawara High School in the prefecture died after being caught in the torrent of snow. Another 40 were injured.

But many of the students who found themselves out in the extreme conditions that morning near a Nasu ski resort apparently used survival skills they had acquired during training on avalanche safety just before a scheduled climb.