4 Hikers Die in First Week of Mount Fuji’s Climbing Season

On Sunday afternoon, the body of a man in his 60s who was unconscious and had gone into cardiac arrest was discovered by a hiker near the eighth station on the Subashiri Trail of Mount Fuji, on the Shizuoka side of the mountain. An employee at a nearby lodge called the emergency services at approximately 12:40 p.m. and a doctor was dispatched from a first aid station. Sadly, the climber was later confirmed dead. He’s the fourth person to have died on the mountain since the Shizuoka trails opened to the public on July 10.  

A Sharp Increase in Fatalities  

According to the Shizuoka prefectural police, in less than a week, the Shizuoka side of the mountain has already seen at least double the number of fatalities than any other climbing season in the last five years. At around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, a man in his 70s was found lying unconscious near the peak. He reportedly fell 5 meters into the crater and was later confirmed dead. At just after 5 p.m. on the same day, a 77-year-old man was discovered collapsed near the eighth station of a trail. A third body was found near the seventh station on Thursday morning.  

Dangers of Hiking Solo

All four hikers who died were believed to have been climbing alone. Authorities are urging climbers not to take risks when going up the mountain as the weather conditions can change suddenly. Though Mount Fuji isn’t seen as a dangerous hike, there are rocky and steep parts of the mountain that aren’t easy to navigate. It is much safer to climb with at least one other person as a partner can call for help quickly. Four people died on the mountain in June, before the climbing season had started. They were all solo climbers. 

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