A landslide Thursday buried at least three climbers on Mount Shirouma in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture, killing one man and leaving a woman trapped in mud, police said.
Two of the men were rescued, but Ginnosuke Tanaka, 65, of Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Hiroshi Okubo, 57, from Akashina, Nagano Prefecture, sustained serious injuries, police said. Rescuers were still trying to save the woman.
"I heard a roaring sound similar to that of a jet plane, and I saw mud coming toward me," said Okubo. "I ran as fast as I could, but I was hit by a falling rock."