Heavy snow has led to 12 deaths in Japan since Feb. 4, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Wednesday.
By prefecture, three people have died in Niigata, two each in Fukushima and Shimane, and one each in Yamagata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui and Nagano, excluding deaths caused by traffic accidents such as crashes on slippery roads.
According to the Niigata Prefectural Government, all of the fatal cases in the prefecture involved men in their 70s who were removing snow. One person died after falling from a roof while the others are believed to have died of acute illness.
The agency also said 51 people have been severely wounded across the country.
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