4 adults injured, 5 kids missing after house fire in Hyogo Pref.
January 3, 2006A fire broke out early Wednesday morning at a home in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, and nearly consumed the two-story wooden structure, leaving four adults injured and five children missing, police said. Three families had been staying at the home of Toshiko Matsumoto, 44, since late December, the police said.
16 hit by 2 avalanches in Niigata ski resorts
January 3, 2006A total of 16 people were engulfed by two avalanches that occurred in separate ski resorts in Niigata Prefecture on Tuesday afternoon, with one of them seriously injured, police said. The 16 include three staff members of the Naeba ski resort who were at a ski lift office in the town of Yuzawa in the prefecture, the police said. Of the three, Hitoshi Sumiya, 57, broke his rib in the accident around 5:30 p.m. Nine skiers nearby were also engulfed by the avalanche but managed to escape by themselves.
80 Akita spas told to take measures against gas accidents
January 3, 2006The Akita prefectural government has asked about 80 hot spring facilities to take prevention measures against toxic gas accidents after a four-member family was killed last week by hydrogen sulfide gas at a spa in the prefecture, prefectural officials said Tuesday. The local government told them to measure the density of hydrogen sulfide gas near their bathing facilities so the data can be disclosed to their guests and dangerous areas can be designated as off-limits, the officials said.
U.S. Embassy in Malaysia stays closed over security fear
January 3, 2006The U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur remained closed Tuesday, four days after it shut its gates until further notice in response to an unspecified ''security threat'' against the embassy. ''It has to do with the recent reported suspicious surveillance attempts,'' embassy spokeswoman Kathryn Taylor told Kyodo News.