Australian mum, three sons missing in Japanese ski resort found safe

An Australian mother and her three sons, who went missing in a Japanese ski resort, were found safe on Tuesday. The woman, in her 50s, and the sons, in their 20s, were found at the top of the mountain following an overnight search.

The family had not returned to the Nozawa Onsen ski resort from their trip on Monday. They were missing close to the peak on the mountain at a height of 1,600 metres.

"The family has just been found up the top of the mountain! Have just gotten off the phone with the head of Nozawa Ski Patrol and all members are fine," the resort said in a statement on Facebook. "Everyone is very relieved to hear. A big thank you to the hard working team at Ski Patrol and a strong message to everyone on the slopes at the moment to be very careful with more heavy snow again overnight."

An ABC reporter posted on Twitter that the police were informed about the missing family after a relative saw a call for help on Facebook. According to a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman, "The department was in contact with the local authorities working to find the Australian woman and her family reported as missing in Japan."

Speaking with Fairfax Media (via Sydney Morning Herald), a concierge said the family had gone missing at 6PM on Monday. The family had dug themselves in a hole for protection from the cold.

The Nozawa Onsen – in Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, about 270 kilometres northwest of Tokyo – has witnessed as much as 2 metres of snow in the last three days. While the overnight temperature has fallen as low as -10 degrees, a wind chill factor further decreases the mercury levels to a bone-chilling -20 degrees. A post on the official Nozawa Onsen Facebook page urged people to maintain caution due to severe weather.