Snow claims 57 lives in Japan since December
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-01-07 09:19

Heavy snowfalls have claimed the lives of 57 people and injured hundreds of others in Japan since the start of snow season in early December, officials said.

A total of 53 people have died and 760 people have been injured in snow-related incidents in Japan since last month, the Cabinet Office said, citing tally results as of 2 p.m. (0500 GMT) Friday.

A woman digs to create a pathway through heavy snow which has piled up to over three metres in the northern Japanese town of Tsunan January 6, 2006.[Reuters]

Four more people have been reported dead and one person is in serious condition after the Cabinet Office figures were released, Kyodo News reported Saturday.

The snow has damaged 579 houses, halted train operations in 15 sections of 14 rail lines and shut down traffic in 85 sections of roads across Japan, said the office.

A postman riding a motorcycle delivers through heavy snow in the northern Japanese town of Tsunan January 6, 2006.[Reuters]

About 1.38 million houses have had temporary blackout, while mail delivery has been delayed by half to full day in some parts of the Sea of Japan coast and Hokkaido. Farm products were damaged by collapsing greenhouses and low temperatures, the office said.

Cumulative snowfall from December 1 through 9 a.m. on January 5 averaged 245 cm for the entire nation, about three times more than the average over the past 10 years, statistics from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport showed.

According to Japan Meteorological Agency, many areas of Japan in 2005 experienced the coldest December since 1946. Among the agency's 339 observation stations, 106 logged record snowfall in that month.

More snow is expected to fall in western and northern Japan through the weekend, the agency warned. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi suggested Friday that the Self-Defense Forces may be mobilized to remove snow that has overwhelmed houses in various parts of the country.