The leader of the group of South Korean hikers that saw four of their comrades die earlier this week in the Central Alps had stopped to take care of a group member who fell sick, members said.
The group started out with 20 participants ranging in age from their 40s to 70s, with 16 of them making it to safety as of Tuesday, many taking separate routes.
The team leader, a man in his 60s, has experience in Japan's mountains, they said. He had stayed with a member who couldn't move due to the cold weather the group encountered.