Tokyo police officer dead, another missing on east Japan mountain

Kyodo -- May 05

A Tokyo police officer was found dead and his female colleague is missing on Mt. Tanigawa in eastern Japan, local police said Tuesday, two days after receiving a distress call.

The body of Kenji Konagai, 43, was discovered by a police helicopter around 8:40 a.m. after his trekking companion, a 52-year-old woman also from the Metropolitan Police Department, called Sunday afternoon saying they had slipped and could not get up.

Konagai was found at a point in Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, around 250 meters below a route on the 1,977-meter mountain, the prefectural police said.

The police will continue searching for the female officer Wednesday.

Mt. Tanigawa is a popular mountain for hikers and climbers with easy access from the Tokyo metropolitan area. While its altitude is relatively low compared with the central Japan mountain ranges known as the Japan Alps, which include peaks of over 3,000 meters, Mt. Tanigawa has steep, rocky trails and sudden changes of weather that can lead to accidents.

May 05 (ANNnewsCH) - 登山中の3人が遭難し、心肺停止の状態です。  3日午後2時半ごろ、長野県と岐阜県にまたがる北アルプスの槍ケ岳で「3人パーティーのうち1人が滑落した」と警察に通報がありました。