A Hokkaido Air System SAAB340 overshot the runway after landing at Kushiro airport and became stranded in deep snow Saturday morning, airport officials said. No injuries were reported.
The 36-seat aircraft, with seven people aboard, landed at around 10:10 a.m., traveled about 150 meters down the runway and then ran for a further 20 meters, they said.
Snow was falling at the time of the accident and visibility was reduced to between 200 and 300 meters, according to the officials.
The runway was closed after the accident. It is scheduled to reopen after the plane is removed, they said.
The Kushiro Meteorological Observatory had issued a warning against heavy snow and high waves in the Kushiro region around the time of the accident.
Avalanches hit town
ASAHIKAWA, Hokkaido (Kyodo) Snow drifts from a series of avalanches engulfed five or six vehicles in the town of Kamikawa in Hokkaido on Saturday morning. Rescue work was under way to save the people trapped inside the vehicles, but no injuries were reported, police said.
The avalanches occurred at five locations over a 5 km section of Route 39 and nearby roads at around 9:30 a.m. Up to 3 meters of snow was left on the roads, according to police.
The avalanches also left some 30 vehicles stranded in snow, they said. Police closed Route 39 and Route 273.