SAPPORO (Kyodo) A student at Rakuno Gakuen University in Ebetsu, Hokkaido, was killed Wednesday morning when he was buried in snow that apparently fell from the roof of a building on campus, police and firefighters said.
Yoshitaka Yamamoto, 23, was found by friends at around 11 a.m. under a mass of snow about 2 meters high, 5 meters wide and 30 meters long. The snow had apparently fallen from the roof of a student hall.
The temperature in Ebetsu stayed above zero Tuesday night, and conditions were set for snow to melt, according to the local weather observatory.
Yamamoto's friends had been searching for the veterinary student after failing to contact him Wednesday morning. They found his car in a parking lot near the hall, police said.
A rescue team searched the rest of the snow pile and said Yamamoto was the only victim, firefighters said.
Yamamoto and his friends had stayed on campus until the early morning hours, apparently due to club activities, they said.
There was brief concern when three other students couldn't be contacted, but police had located them by early afternoon.
