Bereaved families and others on Monday went on a memorial hike to the mountainous accident site in Gunma Prefecture of the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet, which claimed 520 lives, to mark the 39th anniversary of the incident.
The climbers followed a steep mountain trail to reach the crash site on the Osutaka Ridge, about 1,560 meters above sea level, in the village of Ueno. They prayed for the deceased in front of memorial markers scattered along the way, with some saying that they were able to come "see" their loved ones at last.
Three of the people who lost their lives in the accident were teachers from Shinwa Girls' Senior High School in the city of Kobe. They were on their way back from inspecting places for a school excursion.
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