Snow buries father, daughter on Japanese Island

A father and his daughter have been pronounced dead in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido after they were buried in snow, local media reported on Wednesday.

The rescue team found an 84-year-old man and his 59-year-old daughter late Tuesday. The snow is believed to have fallen off the roof in the city of Iwamizawa, the local Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper reported.

The daughter was found dead at the scene while the father was pronounced dead after he was taken to hospital, the paper said.

Heavy snow caused the cancellation of 135 train services on the island on Tuesday, according to the operator Hokkaido Railway Company.

A cold air system is expected to bring more snow to northern Japan and the Sea of Japan coastline later this week, the Meteorological Agency said.