An avalanche occurred at a ski resort in Nasu Town, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan on the 27th, involving 48 high school teachers and students who were attending a mountain safety training session, resulting in 8 deaths and 40 injuries. When the avalanche struck, some teachers told the students to lie down, but were criticized: “That’s practically suicide!” Surviving students also questioned why the training was forcibly carried out despite heavy snowfall.
The Tochigi Prefecture High School Physical Education Federation Mountain Climbing Division held a press conference at the Tochigi Prefectural Government Office on the 29th. Shuichi Inose, one of the training session leaders and advisor to the Otawara High School Mountaineering Club, stated that he was not present at the scene that day, but teachers on-site reported over the phone that the snow was too deep for climbing. However, since there was little snowfall and almost no wind, they believed they could conduct a snow-clearing training exercise. After discussing with two other teachers experienced in mountaineering, they decided to hold it at a location they deemed safe.
Some students pointed out that there was a lot of wind noise that day and visibility was poor; they only realized it was an avalanche when a huge wall of snow hit them. The teacher at the time shouted, “Lie down.” Someone tweeted, “The teacher must be clueless, right?” “Lying down is basically suicide!” “When an avalanche happens, you should run while shouting. When you’re about to be buried, make a space around your mouth to ensure you can breathe. If possible, raise one hand to make it easier for rescuers to spot you.”
The Snow and Ice Disaster Prevention Research Center at the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience also confirmed this view. Lying down causes the body to be completely buried in snow, making self-rescue impossible. One can suffocate within about 15 to 20 minutes under the snow. You should try your best to run away to avoid being buried. If multiple people are escaping together, they should spread out so that those who are rescued can immediately help others.
Ishikawa Masashi, a lecturer at the National Avalanche Training Session organized by the Japanese Workers' Mountain Federation, said in an interview with Fuji TV on the 29th that the organizers lacked understanding of the mountain environment and should have investigated the snow conditions and terrain beforehand. Although they claimed to have canceled the climb and switched to snow-clearing training, they chose a very steep slope, which is practically no different from climbing, and without tree cover, it was not safe at all. Moreover, none of the deceased teachers and students were carrying locators that could indicate their position.
The Tochigi Prefectural Board of Education is now considering a complete ban on high school winter mountaineering. Japanese police have launched an investigation into the organizers on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in injury or death.
(China Times)