Japan probes avalanche deaths of instructor, 7 students

Tokyo

INVESTIGATORS pored over a Japanese mountain on Tuesday after a massive avalanche tore through a group of high school students and teachers, killing eight, amid questions of why avalanche warnings were ignored and whether they had proper equipment.

The avalanche in central Japan on Monday, which struck along some 50 metres of a steep slope just above a ski area, killed seven students and an instructor who were part of a 48-person group taking part in winter climbing training.