Japan snow storms leave eight dead and hundreds injured

Several areas of northern and central Japan saw two to three times more snow than usual for this time of year

Vehicles were stranded and many houses lost power (REUTERS)

Japan has been hit by severe winter storms, with eight dead and hundreds injured as a result of the heavy snow.  

The west coast was particularly affected with regions of Niigata, Ishikawa, Fukui and Toyama all facing disruption.

Heavy snowfall is not unusual in these regions, especially in the mountains, but cold air moving across the country has meant that heavy snow fell at sea level where snow does not usually settle in this quantity.

More than three feet of snow was recorded over the weekend and parts of northern and central Japan saw double to triple the average amount.

According to NHK, the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation, the snow in the city of Toyama was deeper than one meter for the first time in 35 years.

Snowfall in the region of Hokuriku was more than two times the normal quantity expected at this time of year.

Tens of thousands of homes were left without any electricity and 1,200 vehicles were stranded on a toll road, running along the west coast of central Japan. This follows a similar situation in December when 1,000 vehicles were stranded on a motorway in Niigata, following a snow storm.

Japan’s neighbours, China and South Korea, have also seen snowfall over the last few days. Further snowfall is forecast for parts of Japan Wednesday night. 

Meanwhile, in Europe heavy snow blanketed Spain over the weekend and more snow is forecast for the UK next week.