Eight high school students are feared to have died in an avalanche at a Japanese ski resort.
The BBC reports that the avalanche occurred early on Monday near Nasu in Tochigi prefecture, 120km (75 miles) north of Tokyo.
Over 30 people were injured with eight students found with no vital signs. 70 people including students and teachers were in the area during the incident.
Whilst rescue operations are being carried out, heavy snowfall has caused disruption.
The BBC adds that the students from a number of schools were involved in a large scale mountain climbing event.
There are servers ski resorts surrounding the region of Nasu, which saw heavy snow over the past two days. Avalanche warnings were in effect.