2 skiers from New Zealand killed in Japanese avalanche, police say

• Two backcountry skiers from New Zealand died in an avalanche on Mount Yotei, Hokkaido’s northernmost island on Monday.
• The victims, a man and a woman, were part of a group of six backcountry skiers.
• Another New Zealand man reportedly survived the avalanche with a shoulder injury.

Two backcountry skiers from New Zealand have died in an avalanche on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido, police said Tuesday.

A man and woman died Monday on the 6,227-foot Mount Yotei, the Hokkaido prefectural police said. A third skier, a man also from New Zealand, survived with a shoulder injury, Kyodo News said.

All three were residents in the area and worked as a tour guide and seasonal workers, police said.

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They were reportedly part of a group of six backcountry skiers.

This aerial photo shows Mt. Yotei, where an avalanche hit a group of backcountry skiers on March 11, 2024, in Kutchan, Hokkaido. (Kyodo News via AP)

Kyodo News agency said a separate group of four backcountry skiers was also hit by an avalanche at a nearby mountain, with one suffering a leg injury.

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There was no heavy snow or avalanche advisories issued in the area at that time, Kyodo said.