Tokyo (EFE).- The heavy snowfall that has been hitting the northeast of Japan They have left from last day 17 until this Tuesday, 18 dead and 123 injured (48 of them serious), according to figures from the Japanese disaster agency.
The record snowfall in Niigata prefecture (northwest of Tokyo) since last week, which caused serious traffic jams and hundreds of vehicles stuck on the roads, left at least 18 deadmost of them falling from the roofs while clearing the snow or getting trapped under it.
The snowfall intensified during the night from December 18 to 19, reaching in less than 24 hours close to two meters in height in various areas, which is three times more than in a normal year and, although the peak occurred on days Subsequently, the storm continued through the Christmas weekend.
The problems with the electricity supply at this time of year have generated inconveniences and incidents in the homes.
Four members of a family in the city of Kashiwazaki were taken to the hospital, one of them unconscious, while using a heater at home due to the power outage.
In the same city, a 27-year-old woman was found dead in her car parked in front of her house, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning, where she is believed to have taken refuge as a result of the power outage.
In the city of Ojiya, also in Niigata, at least one person died from the storm, a 76-year-old man, while he was shoveling snow.
Snowfall is expected to continue in Niigata next week and the authorities have warned the population to remove the snow with caution and preferably accompanied. EFE
