Three climbers from two separate parties were found dead Friday on a ridge leading to Mount Karamatsu on the border between Nagano and Toyama prefectures, while two climbers were rescued by helicopter, Nagano Prefectural Police said.
The bodies of the three victims -- a man and two women -- were found as a police helicopter was searching for three male mountaineers who sought help Thursday, police said.
The deceased man was identified as Mitsugu Oba, 63, from Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Two other male climbers in the party -- Yasushi Inoue, 68, from Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, and Yasuhito Kotaka, 65, from Yokohama -- had to be rescued.
The two females, who belonged to another party, had not been identified as of Friday evening.