UTSUNOMIYA, Japan -- Six people were believed dead and three others remained unaccounted for on Monday morning following an avalanche on a ski slope near the town of Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, the local fire department said. About 50 senior high school students were believed to have been on the slope when the avalanche occurred at Nasuonsen Family Ski Resort in the morning, it said. They were taking part in a spring climbing event. Two students and one teacher were confirmed injured by the avalanche. The climbing event began on Saturday and was scheduled to conclude around noon, according to a person connected with one of the participating schools.

Source: Bangkok Post March 27, 2017 04:41 UTC