Mount Fuji landslide buries 3 cars; rescues reported

A landslide partially buried three vehicles in a Mount Fuji car park as heavy rain, powerful gusts and dense mist affected the end of the Japanese volcano's summer climbing season.

Hisayuki Motohashi, a road maintenance official for the Shizuoka regional government, said the vehicles belonged to people working on the mountain and were partially buried on Wednesday. No injuries were reported in the landslide, which happened at a parking lot at one of Mount Fuji's four main access gates.

Shizuoka police said Thursday they had been called to help rescue two hikers. A local police official said one man, who appeared to be in his 30s or 40s, was found collapsed near the summit on Wednesday, while another man, who appeared to be in his 60s, was found fallen on a trail the same day. Their conditions were not disclosed.

The Shizuoka government and official mountain guides posted images Thursday morning showing access roads and gravel trails covered with mist and rain. Mount Fuji, which is 3,776 metres high, attracts more than 200,000 hikers each year during its official July-to-September opening period.