Three people have died in north-east Japan in an accident that authorities suspect is linked to the inhalation of deadly gas found in the country’s famed hot spring resorts.
Japanese media said the three men, who all worked at a nearby hotel, were found in a mountainous area near the city of Fukushima on Tuesday. They were discovered in an area of Takayu Onsen (hot spring) where high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide, a toxic byproduct of volcanic hot springs, have been recorded.
The gas gives Japan’s onsen resorts their unmistakable sulphurous smell but can be dangerous if inhaled in high enough concentrations. Authorities said there is a possibility the three inhaled the gas, the Asahi Shimbun reported.
At safe levels, the gas is said to be good for high blood pressure, joint pain and other ailments – health benefits that have long attracted visitors to the green-white waters of the 400-year-old resort. But it can also be hazardous in poorly ventilated spaces and in high concentrations outdoors.
The victims – the manager of Kagetsu Highland Hotel, a member of staff and the managing director of the company that runs the hotel – had been conducting routine maintenance checks at the hot spring’s source when they are believed to have got into difficulty, Japanese media reported.
Authorities were alerted on Monday evening when the men, who were in their 50s and 60s, failed to return to the hotel.
A doctor at the scene confirmed they had died, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said, but authorities have yet to determine the official cause of death.
The snow was 110cm deep on Monday, when the men left to conduct their fortnightly maintenance check, and had increased to 146cm the following day, when their bodies were discovered lying in the snow near a mountain trail. The temperature had plummeted to as low as -7.7C, the Kyodo news agency said.
Junichi Endo, chairman of the Takayu Onsen Tourism Association, said the presence of heavy snow in the area “may have caused hydrogen sulphide to accumulate”, according to NHK.
The public broadcaster quoted Prof Takeshi Oba, an expert on volcanic gases at Tokai University, as saying that it was possible that “extremely high” concentrations of hydrogen sulphide were present in and around the hot spring, which is located near an active volcano.
When snow accumulates, geothermal heat can cause it to start melting and create depressions where hydrogen sulphide, which is heavier than air, can accumulate, Oba told NHK.
Around 20 firefighters and police officers had to use breathing apparatus during their search for the men due to high levels of hydrogen sulphide.
In 2015, three men were found dead at a hot spring resort in the northern prefecture of Akita. Media reports said the victims, like those discovered this week, had been performing maintenance work in a snow-covered area.
