TOKYO - The toll from record snowfalls in Japan hit 100 on Monday, media said, and one six-year-old boy was in a coma after being buried in snow that slid off a roof while he was playing outside.
The danger from landslides in the western, eastern and northeastern parts of the country began to recede slightly, however, with warnings downgraded to advisories, while roads to areas that had been cut off by snow were temporarily reopened.
"The worst of the danger has passed, although caution about avalanches is still needed in areas where the snowpack remains heavy," a Meteorological Agency official said.
The number of people killed in snow-related accidents reached 100 on Monday evening, NHK national television said, the highest in more than 20 years.
Among the latest victims was a 77-year-old man who fell from his roof while clearing it of snow and died of head injuries.
Three nursery school children in Fukushima prefecture north of Tokyo were buried in snow that slid off the roof of their school while they were playing outside, seriously injuring two six-year-old boys, one of whom was in a coma, police said.
A five-year-old boy suffered shoulder injuries.
In Niigata prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, a road that had been closed for four days due to heavy snow and the danger of avalanches was briefly reopened, enabling eager residents to go shopping for the first time in days.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
