A New Zealand man has been seriously injured alongside a Swedish woman after the pair reportedly fell around 400m while climbing Japan's Mount Fuji while the mountain was closed.
According to Japanese outlet Asahi, the Fujinomiya Police department received a report on March 9 of two foreign climbers falling near the seventh station on the Fujinomiya Trail of Mount Fuji, which is closed at this time year.
The pair, a 51-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman, were airlifted to hospital, with the fire department saying they fell around 400m down the mountain, Asahi reported.
All four trails leading to the 3776m summit of Mount Fuji are closed to the public outside of the summer climbing season, which ended on September 10.
The closure was due to severe weather conditions, and the lack of first-aid stations or mountain huts if an accident were to occur, read the Fujisan Climb website.
"During the off-season, temperatures are usually below freezing, and from November to April, they often fall below 14F (-10C), making conditions very dangerous."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was aware of reports that a New Zealander had been injured in Japan.
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