Three young Israeli snowboarders were rescued on Tuesday after being stranded in the Hakuba Mountain range in central Japan while suffering from hypothermia, Israel’s Embassy in Japan confirmed.
They had been stuck there for around 24 hours due to severe weather conditions and were trapped in sub-zero temperatures in a state of hypothermia. The trio are reservists aged 27-28 and were trapped after straying from the marked snowboarding trail.
During the rescue operations, Israel’s ambassador to Japan, Gilad Cohen, spoke with US Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, who instructed US military forces in Japan to stand by to assist, Ynet reported.
After the rescue, Cohen said, “Throughout the night and morning, we worked around the clock at the embassy along with all relevant parties in Japan and with the US ambassador.
“We are happy that our three young men were rescued safely,” he continued
The Foreign Ministry announced they had been working with local authorities on trying to rescue the three individuals.
“Consul Avinoam Mizrahi went to the area where the incident took place, and the Magnus rescue company was working to rescue them,” the ministry announced.
Complex rescue situation
Rescue teams were initially unable to reach the young men because they were located near a river, which made the situation more complex.
With their phone batteries only at 15%, the three remained in contact with Magnus, and received instructions on how to stay warm and survive the night.
The young men reported they were “freezing cold” and that their phone batteries were running low before a local team of 11 rescuers finally managed to reach them during the night.
The three Israelis stranded on Mount Hakuba in northern Japan have been successfully rescued.The Embassy of Israel in Japan worked closely with the Japanese police and rescue teams, whose exceptional efforts made this operation possible. We extend our profound gratitude for…
— Gilad Cohen ️ (@GiladCohen_) January 7, 2025
One rescue vehicle drove to the police station in the area, while another part of the team went directly to the site, according to Ynet. The three men were rescued in good health.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.