A 27 -year -old China student was saved from the highest mountain in Japan, Mount Fuji, twice in the four days of his return to look for a mobile phone left behind.
The climber, which was not publicly identified, was first transported by plane with an altitude illness near the summit of Mount Fuji, which is currently closed to the public, on Tuesday April 22 after having made an emergency, said the police, adding that his climbing irons have also been damaged.
On Saturday April 26, the student returned again to the Fujinomiya of the mountain path – at an altitude of 3,000 meters – to search for his mobile phone and other personal effects, said prefective police of Shizuoka.
Another climber found him there unable to move after apparently developing altitude evil for the second time, according to the police.
“He was suspected of having had an altitude of altitude and was transported to the hospital,” a police spokesman at Agency France said on Monday.
It is not known if he was able to find his mobile phone and other personal effects.
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The mountain hiking trails are only open from July to early September, but there is no penalty for hiking out of season. There is also no fee or penalty when a climber must be rescued.
After the rescue of the man, the Shizuoka police urged all the climbers to be cautious, noting that the mountain has low temperatures and is covered with snow even in the spring.
According to the National Tourism Organization of Japan, Mount Fuji is the highest peak in Japan, at 3,776 meters. It was the result of a volcanic activity that started about 100,000 years ago. The surrounding area is a popular recreational destination for hiking, campsite and relaxation. The mountain was appointed a UNESCO world cultural heritage site in 2013.
Local authorities introduced entry fees in 2024 and a ceiling on the number of participants on the most popular path to control overcrowding and the risks of climbing rushing during the night through rocky slopes to see sunrise. They will present similar rules on other main trails this year.
Last year, Japanese officials urged Mount Fuji climbers to be more cautious after the death of five people on the mountain the same week.
According to the New York Times, three people died within 24 hours on one side of the mountain, in the prefecture of Shizuoka on July 10. Another person died on July 14. The four climbers were Japanese men in sixties and 70 years old, police announced. One died of a fall, another fell ill and the cause of the other two was not clear. They were all solo climbers.
Days before, on the other side of the mountain in the prefecture of Yamanashi, a 58 -year -old climber died on July 8, according to officials. The man was a visitor of Hong Kong who became unconscious while he climbed with his wife, according to the local media Kyodo News.
– With files from the Associated Press
& Copy 2025 Global News, A Division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
