One person has died in a snowstorm that left her paralyzed today to the island of Hokkaido (northern Japan), where thousands of homes remain without electricity and more than 160 trains and 130 flights were canceled.
The body of a 19-year-old was found inside a car parked in the city of Obihiro, where the snow reached 88 centimeters.
The Japanese authorities determined that snow blocked the exhaust pipe of the car and the young man died from lack of oxygen, Kyodo News reported Wednesday.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency called the storm shakes north Asian country as "the worst in years," a storm that has also left some 4,500 homes in the region without electricity, detailed the company Electric Power.
The wind caused damage to the lines and electric poles, added the company, and the cities of Sapporo, capital of Hokkaido Prefecture, and Muroran recorded wind gusts record for the month of March.
In addition, 517 schools in the area remained closed today because of the snowstorm and 316 others delayed the start time of classes.
Low atmospheric pressure that is directed towards the east caused the storm, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency reach winds of up to 40 meters per second and will cause a snowfall of about 40 centimeters to 06.00 local time on Wednesday (2100 GMT Tuesday).