An avalanche hit a tent site near to Yaridaira hut,
Takayama Gifu prefecture on 2007 Jan 1st 0:15am.
Seven, one female and six males were buried when
sleeping in the tents. Apx. 20 people near-by digged
out them, and carried them in the hut which has
no custodian, for evacuation only. Three were
rescued with safe, though four males ( 31 and 51
from Tokusima, 60 from Kanagawa and 45 from Tokyo)
remain unconscious. Gifu police started rescue work
from the morning. There were more than 3 meters snow
fall, and 23 groups 74 pepople staying at the tent
site, a report told.

Source: http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080101-00000011-mai-soci

EDIT: At 2:00pm on Jan 1st, Gifu police confirmed three
were no injured and four males were dead at the scene.

SC

The following post is very suggestive.
Source: http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080101-00000057-mai-soci

(Abstract)
34 years ago, 1973 Nov 20, a 22 peple group was
attacked by an avy at around the same time and
on around the same place, several hundreds meters
apart from Yaridaira hut. Five were killed.
They were sleeping, and their tents were covered
by snow of several ten centimeters to one meter.
It meant 540 Kg to 1,080 Kg weight placing on
a tent, a report guessed. Some who slept with
face-up had high risk to be suffocated by tent
cloth. Some who slept face-side had chance to
keep air space for alive. A knife may be important
to rip tent cloth.

Personal Comment:
A succeding news told the female rescued were
digged out 10 minitues after she was buried
by 2007.Jan.1 avy. Wear a beacon & a knife and
sleep with face-side when staying in a tent
in mountains.

SC

Hi SC

Thanks for the advice but this time I think you have to question why people are on the mountain, and Yarigatake in particular, in this storm. You could see it coming on every single forecast, as early as Dec 22/3 on the long range Unisys one. That's more than enough time for people to change plans. You don't have to climb Yari at New Year. There are lots of other mountains in Japan, many of which would have been safer and much more enjoyable. I get the feeling half the people only go there for the name value.

> why people are on the mountain, and
> Yarigatake in particular, in this storm.
I heard a member of Gifu rescue team said so.
Me too. I suppose they would plan to see
New Year Sunrise on Jan 1st on the top of
Yari-gatake. Then they must realize it was
impossible to do it by bad weather, so far
they believed to pitch their tents at
"seemed to be safety" place for a temporary
evacuation from the harsh night.

An update news reports more...
http://dailynews.yahoo.co.jp/fc/domestic/snowfall/?1199257431
(Abstract)
The lady rescued told, in the tent, she
heard no sound, but felt a big gust suddenly,
then was pressed by heavy stuff(snow).
She attempted escaping, successed to make
a slit on the inner tent by sliding a zipper,
then can get her right hand appeared to
outside after cutting the outer tent sheet
by her teeth. She was not able to move her
body untill she was digged out.

SC

That lady basically gnawed her way out of the tent.
She is a survivor!

Update news:
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080104-00000013-mai-soci
One tent had four people, and another had three.
One each side (i.e: 2p x 2 tents = 4p) are victims.
Center three (incld. the lady) are alive.
The lady said she had air space on her breast.

SC

My missus read the same thing about the tents. Basically the people sleeping on the outside died and those on the inside survived.