Blizzard conditions had caused 51 deaths nationwide as of Tuesday, and most of the victims died while trying to remove snow accumulations, the government said.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency found that 35 of the casualties were aged 65 or older and that 42 died while removing snow, including those who fell from roofs while shoveling snow.

The agency, which is part of the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, warned of more heavy snow along the Sea of Japan later this week and urged people trying to clean the accumulations to wear helmets and work in groups of at least two.

The deaths occurred in nine prefectures between Nov. 1 and Tuesday.