2 New Zealand Skiers Confirmed Dead And 1 Injured in Avalanche at Mount Yotei, Hokkaido, Japan

Three skiers were caught in two separate avalanches in Hokkaido, Japan, on Monday, March 11, in the morning. Firefighters received a call to Mount Yotei around 10 a.m. where two skiers were buried. The search and rescue team located the backcountry skiers buried in the snow. The pair had suffered cardiac and pulmonary arrest and the rescue team started immediate resuscitation. The pair was airlifted to a local hospital where a male and a female skier from New Zealand were pronounced dead. A third person sustained a shoulder injury, according to Kutchan police.

According to Japan News, the pair was part of a group of six on a backcountry tour on the Japanese volcano which reaches an elevation of 1,898 meters (6,227 feet). The avalanche occurred at an elevation of around 650 – 700 meters (2,133-2,297 feet).

The New Zealand embassy confirmed the death of two of their citizens. The woman was identified as 21-year-old Isabella Bolton, who was a keen and experienced skier who had worked at ski resorts in New Zealand and Canada. She was working in Niseko, Japan, as a ski guide. The male skier was identified as Joshua Sellens, a 33-years old ski guide living in Kutchan, Japan. The New Zealand Embassy has offered consular support to the families of those involved. The injured skier has been identified as 21-year-old Lars Meier Blattner from New Zealand who is currently residing in Rankoshi, Japan.

According to the Japanese Society of Snow and Ice the avalanche on Mount Yotei was classified as a “surface avalanche,” 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) in length and 20 meters (787 feet) in width.

A separate avalanche on Mount Iwao-nupuri, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of Mount Yotei was reported around 12:40 p.m. on the same day. According to the local fire department, one person was injured at the site.

While avalanche danger was low on Monday, the local meteorological observatory reported temperatures around 4°C (39ºF) above average for this time of year.