Agent sorry for mountain deaths

SAPPORO (Kyodo) Amuse-Travel Co. President Seiichi Matsushita offered a fresh apology Sunday for the deaths last week of eight hikers in bad weather on a mountain in central Hokkaido.

The Tokyo-based travel company arranged the three-day, 41.5-km hike with three guides and 15 participants. "I offer my apology from the bottom of my heart to the bereaved who lost their precious family members," Matsushita told a news conference in Shintoku, Hokkaido. "I pray that the souls of the deceased may rest in peace."

Asked whether the guides made the right decision to continue the trek despite the bad weather, Matsushita said he did not have enough information to answer the question.

But the travel agent also said one of the guides told him there was no problem with the hikers' health before they set out from a mountain hut Thursday, the day of the tragedy.

One of the hikers who made it off Mount Tomuraushi unaided spoke separately about what happened that day.

The man, who did not want his name released, said the group set out from the hut in the morning even though there were strong winds and rain.

"We left though I thought people would normally do otherwise," he said. "The tour guides did not offer an explanation about the weather forecast."

Around noon, soon after they reached the summit of Tomuraushi, the guides asked them to stay put because several people said they were ill, he recalled.

They had to wait for more than an hour and half without any explanation about what was happening, he said, adding that some people started to shriek out "I'm cold, I'm cold."

Later that day, 10 hikers and one of the guides tried to trek down the mountain, while the rest decided to camp out there, including the two other guides.

But the man, who was among those who tried to walk out, said the guide went "running down the mountain without saying anything" and did not seem to care about the people who were lagging behind.

However, other survivors told reporters they felt the guides did the best they could under difficult circumstances.