Jakarta, IO – At least 17 people died and 90 others injured in a snowstorm over Christmas that hit most of Japan, with the country’s northern region the worst affected, reported CNN Indonesia on Wednesday (28/12).
Many of the victims fell while removing snow from their roofs or were buried under thick piles of snow that slid from the roofs. Japan’s disaster management agency said a woman in her 70s was buried under a pile of snow that suddenly fell on her from her roof in Nagai City, Yamagata prefecture.
In response, the regional government appealed to residents to be careful when clearing the snow. The government also warned not to do it alone. A number of regions in north-eastern Japan reported that the snowfall this year was three times as much compared to the average recorded in previous years.
Read: BRIN forecasts extreme weather to hit Greater Jakarta at the end of the year
It even knocked down an electric tower on the northern island of Japan, causing a blackout that affected 20,000 homes on Sunday (25/12). Dozens of trains and flights were also suspended until Sunday. Most services have now resumed. (rr)