Eight older hikers turned up dead, so the Japanese police executed a raid on Amuse-Travel Co. They suspected the tour organizer of negligence, as the mostly sixtysomething crowd met an untimely end thanks to hypothermia on Mount Tomuraushi on Hokkaido. Another old hiker died alone on the same mountain at around the same time, with a tenth on a different mountain on Hokkaido. The police haven’t made any arrests.
Since the group was found scattered around the mountain, the police believe that the group was not being escorted properly.
But, it appears they weren’t dressed appropriately for the weather on Mount Tomuraushi. They had donned only thin rain jackets for 46-degree temperatures, strong winds and rain. One of the survivors, Michiyuki Kameda, recalled having to push through muddy waters in nasty weather, but he had heavier clothing.
Mountain climbing has become increasingly popular among the older folks as a way to stay healthy, but it appears many aren’t aware of the safety risks. More than 60 percent of the 281 people who died mountain climbing in Japan last year were at least 55 years old.