The man rescued twice from Mount Fuji in Japan came back to find his cell phone
A climber was rescued four days after a second time after a climber returned to slope last week after a plateau disease near the peak of Mount Fuji in Japan.
Officials urged people to be aware of the harsh conditions at the country’s highest peak during the off-season.
The climber was identified as only a 27-year-old Chinese student living in Japan. Police said he had an emergency call on April 22 and was airlifted after symptoms of high illness, adding that his climbing iron was also damaged.
Shizuoka County police said he returned to the Fujiwara Trail on the mountain at an altitude of about 3,000 meters last Saturday to look for his cell phone and other items. Police said another climber found that he was obviously unable to move after a second illness.
No fines, even off-season rescue
The mountain’s hiking trails are only officially open from July to early September, but there is no fine for hiking. There were also no fees or fines when it was necessary to rescue the climber, but the student’s case caused a social media turmoil and raised calls for him, at least for his second rescue.
Shizuoka police urged all climbers to exercise caution and pointed out that the mountain is low in temperature and is covered with snow even in the spring.
The 3,776-meter-high mountain area was designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2013. The symbol of Japan, the mountain known as “Fojisan”, was once a place of pilgrimage, and today hikers are becoming increasingly popular among hikers.
To control over the overcrowding and risk, rushing over rocky slopes to see sunrises, local authorities last year raised admission fees and caps to the number of contestants on the most popular trails and will introduce similar rules on other major trails this year.
