Up to eight children are feared dead after avalanche hits school climbing group

Up to eight people are feared dead and two others have been left in a critical condition after an avalanche hit a group of pupils and teachers in central Japan.

It was not immediately clear how many of the victims were students, an official said. The avalanche occurred on Monday morning near a ski slope in Nasu, 160 km (100 miles) north of Tokyo, where 52 high school students and 11 teachers were climbing, a local government official said.

The eight showed no vital signs, officials said. Japanese officials typically do not declare victims dead until a doctor has made a formal announcement. ‘We have avalanche incidents once or twice a year around here, but haven’t had anything this big,’ a fire department official said.