Japan witnesses first heavy snowfall in four years, transport disruption continues

A man rides a bicycle in the heavy snow in Tokyo
A man rides a bicycle in the heavy snow in Tokyo, Japan January 22, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Japan's capital Tokyo which is now covered with a heavy blanket of snow has left thousands of people stranded and injured. Transport delays have become common in the metropolis as the traffic is snarled due to vehicles trapped in bridges and tunnels. In the meantime, travelers were stranded on a Japanese Airport for over 15 hours. Air New Zealand grounded the flight to Auckland due to the stormy weather.

According to Japan's weather agency, Tokyo has witnessed a snowfall of 23 centimeters, the biggest since February 2014.

The unexpected strong snowfall paralyzed Tokyo on Monday evening. Thousands of workers struggled to commute due to the unexpected snowfall, and many people even got stranded during their journey back home.

According to police officials, nearly 200 people suffered minor injuries falling in frozen streets. 700 minor vehicle accidents occurred during the heavy snowfall, and fortunately, no serious crashes have been reported so far.

Many domestic and International flights have been scrapped from taking off due to bad weather conditions. More than 9000 people were stranded at Narita airport on Monday night, and it created some sort of unrest among passengers. Several people complained of not getting necessary facilities to stay over the night at the airport.

"It's now 9am and we have still not heard anything. The airport has completely run out of food, babies are running out of food and nappies, it's so hard," said a passenger in Air New Zealand, reports Stuff. The passenger further stated that the community spirit has kept them alive from hopelessness and has induced a feeling togetherness.

"I slept on the floor last night, but at least my flight to Hawaii will leave later today, so I'm looking forward to that," another passenger told National Broadcaster NHK.

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