Story highlights Students were taking ski and climbing lessons as part of a mountaineering group

Thirty-two students and teachers were able to safely get down from the slope

Tokyo (CNN) Seven high school students and a teacher were killed after being caught in an avalanche at a Japanese ski resort Monday, according to the local fire department.

Poor weather conditions initially hampered efforts by rescue crews to reach the Nasu Onsen Family Ski Area, a small ski slope on the side of Mount Nasu in Tochigi Prefecture, about 200 kilometers north of Tokyo.

The students were part of a mountaineering club and had reportedly been taking part in a climbing event when local police received a call about the avalanche at 9:20 a.m. local time, according to local officials.

Sixty-two teachers and students were participating in the climbing lesson and 48 of them were in the area where the avalanche happened, police told CNN.

Forty people were hurt, including two who sustained serious injuries.

Read More</s>An avalanche Monday killed seven Japanese high school students and a teacher on a mountain-climbing outing, and injured 40 more.

TOKYO: An avalanche Monday killed seven Japanese high school students and a teacher on a mountain-climbing outing, and injured 40 more.

More than 100 troops were deployed in a major rescue mission after the avalanche hit ski slopes in Tochigi prefecture north of Tokyo. Television footage showed rescuers climbing the mountainside as ambulances stood by.

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A total of 52 students and 11 teachers from seven high schools were on a three-day mountaineering expedition when disaster struck.

A warning had been issued for heavy snow and possible avalanches from Sunday until Monday in the area, with the local weather agency forecasting snowfall of some 30 centimetres (about 12 inches).

In the latest update seven students and one teacher, mostly from Otawara High School in Tochigi, were found with no vital signs, an official with a prefectural disaster task force told AFP.

In Japan, deaths in such circumstances are not announced officially until doctors can confirm them.

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Officials earlier said eight students had no vital signs.

Some 40 people have been injured, including two students in serious condition, the prefectural official said.

"All the people have been carried down from the mountain and they are now being transported to hospital," he told AFP.

The avalanche struck in the town of Nasu 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Tokyo on the final day of the excursion, Tochigi authorities said, adding that soldiers were brought in at the request of the prefecture's governor.

Local media cited experts as saying it was likely a surface avalanche, caused by a heavy snowfall accumulating on a previous deposit of slippery snow.

"This (outing) is an annual event and we never had a major accident before," one of the teachers told Jiji Press. "I am really shocked."

The ski resort had been closed for the season, according to the operator's website, with the lift stopped and no skiers at the site.

But some of its facilities were made available for the high school mountaineering trip organised by local physical education authorities.</s>TOKYO – Eight high school students are feared dead after being caught in an avalanche at a Japanese ski resort Monday, according to a spokesman from the local fire department.

Poor weather conditions are hampering efforts by emergency crews to reach the Nasu Onsen Family ski area on the slopes of Mount Nasu in Tochigi Prefecture, about 200 kilometers north of Tokyo.

Six other students are believed to be injured, according to one of the teachers accompanying the students, who spoke to officials by phone.

Thirty-two students and teachers were able to safely get down from the slope, the fire department spokesman said.

The students were part of a mountaineering club and had been taking ski lessons when local police received a report about the avalanche at 9:20 a.m. local time, according to local officials.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued an avalanche advisory warning for the region, following recent heavy snowfall.</s>An avalanche at a ski resort in Japan hit several high school students on Monday morning, leaving several injured or feared dead, according to ABC News partner NHK.

About 66 students and teachers were in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, Japan when the avalanche hit, the report said. At least eight high school students were found unresponsive after the incident.

Three other students were also injured, and two more students and an instructor are missing, The Associated Press reported, citing Tochigi government sources.

The students were reportedly taking mountain climbing lessons in the town of Nasu in Tochigi prefecture at the time, according to the NHK report.</s>Poor weather conditions are hampering efforts by emergency crews to reach the Nasu Onsen Family ski area on the slopes of Mount Nasu in Tochigi Prefecture, about 200 kilometers north of Tokyo.

Six other students are believed to be injured, according to one of the teachers accompanying the students, who spoke to officials by phone.

Thirty-two students and teachers were able to safely get down from the slope, the fire department spokesman said.

The students were part of a mountaineering club and had been taking ski lessons when local police received a report about the avalanche at 9:20 a.m. local time, according to local officials.</s>Seven high school students and a teacher are feared dead after being caught in an avalanche at a Japanese ski resort Monday, according to local police.

Poor weather conditions initially hampered efforts by rescue crews to reach the Nasu Onsen Family Ski Area, a small ski slope on the side of Mount Nasu in Tochigi Prefecture, about 200 kilometers north of Tokyo.

The students were part of a mountaineering club and had reportedly been taking part in a climbing event when local police received a call about the avalanche at 9:20 a.m. local time, according to local officials.

Sixty-two teachers and students were participating in the climbing lesson and 48 of them were in the area where the avalanche happened, police told CNN.

Forty people were hurt, including two who sustained serious injuries.

Thirty-two students and teachers were able to safely get down from the slope, the fire department spokesman said.

Over a foot of snow fell in the Nasu highlands region between Sunday night and Monday morning, according to data supplied by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The agency had issued an avalanche advisory warning for the region, after recent warm weather raised the risk. Snow showers are predicted to continue through Monday and into Tuesday.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe commented on the disaster at a parliamentary session Monday, according to local media. He said that the government would “make every effort to respond to the disaster, while making it a top priority to rescue victims.”

Police initially reported that eight students were feared dead, citing a witness on the ground, but have since revised their estimate.</s>Students and teachers engulfed by avalanche while on mountain-climbing trip in Nasu ski resort in Tochigi prefecture.

Eight people were feared dead and two were in critical condition after an avalanche hit a group of high school students and teachers climbing in Japan’s central Tochigi prefecture.

The avalanche occurred on Monday morning near a ski slope in the resort of Nasu, 160km north of Tokyo, where 52 students and 11 teachers were climbing, a local government official said.

Students from seven high schools in Tochigi prefecture were believed to have been on the slope when the avalanche occurred, officials said.

Public broadcaster NHK reported that at least six of the victims were students, who were found with no vital signs.

NHK also said that three other students were injured, while three teachers on the excursion could not immediately be contacted.

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.

Tochigi prefecture authorities deployed Self-Defence Forces to Nasu where rescue efforts were hampered by heavy snowfall.</s>More than 100 troops have been deployed in a massive rescue effort after an avalanche hit Tochigi prefecture in Japan, killing eight students (AFP Photo/JIJI PRESS)

Tokyo (AFP) - An avalanche killed eight high school students on a mountain-climbing trip in Japan Monday, with more than 30 people reportedly injured.

More than 100 troops have been deployed in a major rescue effort after the avalanche hit ski slopes in Tochigi prefecture, with television footage showing rescuers climbing mountains as ambulances stood by.

A group of 52 students and 11 teachers from seven high schools were on a three-day mountaineering outing when disaster struck, according to authorities.

A warning had been issued for heavy snow and possible avalanches from Sunday until Monday in the area north of Tokyo, with the local weather agency forecasting snowfall of some 30 centimetres (about 12 inches).

At least eight students, mostly from Otawara High School in Tochigi, were found with no vital signs, an official with a prefectural disaster task force told AFP.

In Japan, deaths in such circumstances are not announced officially until doctors can confirm them.

More than 30 people have been injured according to news agency Kyodo.

"We still don't know how many teachers are included among the victims," an official said.

The avalanche struck in the town of Nasu 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Tokyo on the final day of the excursion, Tochigi authorities said, adding that soldiers were sent for rescue operations at the request of the prefecture's governor.

"This is an annual event and we never had a major accident before," one of the teachers told Jiji Press. "I am really shocked."

The ski resort had been closed for the season, according to the operator's website, with the lift stopped and no skiers at the site.

But some of its facilities were made available for the high school mountaineering trip organised by local physical education authorities.</s>Eight high school students are feared dead after being caught in an avalanche at a Japanese ski resort Monday, according to a spokesman from the local fire department.

Poor weather conditions initially hampered efforts by rescue crews to reach the Nasu Onsen Family Ski Area, a small ski slope on the side of Mount Nasu in Tochigi Prefecture, about 200 kilometers north of Tokyo.

Over 30 people are believed to be injured, according to Kyodo News. Thirty-two students and teachers were able to safely get down from the slope, the fire department spokesman said.

The students were part of a mountaineering club and had reportedly been taking part in a climbing event when local police received a call about the avalanche at 9:20 a.m. local time, according to local officials.

Over a foot of snow fell in the Nasu highlands region between Sunday night and Monday morning, according to data supplied by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The agency had issued an avalanche advisory warning for the region, after recent warm weather raised the risk. Snow showers are predicted to continue through Monday and into Tuesday.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe commented on the disaster at a parliamentary session Monday, according to local media. He said that the government would “make every effort to respond to the disaster, while making it a top priority to rescue victims.”</s>Authorities say six Japanese high school students have been found unconscious after they were caught in an avalanche at a ski resort Monday morning.

The avalanche occurred around 9:20 a.m. in the town of Nasu in Tochigi prefecture.

The Tochigi government said three other students were also injured, and two more students and an instructor are missing.

Japanese media said they were part of a group of about 50 students who were on a mountain climbing exercise at the ski area north of Tokyo.
An avalanche on Mount Nasu in Japan's Tochigi Prefecture, kills at least eight schoolchildren while the students were on a mountaineering excursion. There are three students and three teachers missing.