Six killed in avalanches in Japanese mountains

TOKYO, Apr 9 (Reuters) Six men were killed and four were missing in a series of avalanches over the weekend in a mountainous area of western Japan known as the Japan Alps.

The dead included three skiers, aged between 57 and 68, in a five man group hit by an avalanche yesterday in Niigata Prefecture, Kyodo news reported In the Nagano village of Hakuba, two men, aged 34 and 41, were killed while they were skiing in the afternoon. Two others, in a six-person group, were seriously injured.

One man was killed by an avalanche on Sunday afternoon on the slopes of Mount Abo, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures, Kyodo reported.

The police also said four climbers were missing after an avalanche swept down a valley of Mount Kasagatake in Gifu Prefecture.

The Japan Alps experienced record snowfall levels this winter that left thousands stranded and scores dead.

REUTERS SRS RK2100