Four men were found dead Monday in the Northern Alps straddling Nagano, Gifu and Toyama prefectures, police said, bringing the tally for climbing fatalities during Golden Week to five since Saturday.
This year’s official Golden Week holiday stretch will end on Sunday.
Police found the body of a man believed to be in his 60s on Mount Okuhotaka and are trying to rescue another who was spotted by helicopter on the same mountain following a possible avalanche.
On Mount Masago, the bodies of Yasuhiro Shima, a 62-year-old company employee from Toyama, and another man were found by helicopter Monday morning after being reported as missing.
Also in the morning, police found the body of a man thought to be in his 50s on a slope on Mount Kitahotaka.
On Sunday, a 55-year-old man from Tokyo was confirmed dead after falling on Mount Renge. He had been back-country skiing.
The police also rescued several groups of climbers in the Northern Alps Monday who got lost or caught up in poor weather. Among them was a 60-year-old man who was hospitalized with suspected hypothermia.
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