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A landslide struck a car park on Mount Fuji, located roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tokyo, as the volcano's summer climbing season came to a close Thursday amid downpours and dense mist.
Three vehicles belonging to workers on the mountain were partially buried Wednesday when powerful gusts and torrential rain battered the popular hiking destination, a local official told AFP.
No injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred in a parking lot at one of the four main access gates to the 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) volcano, said Hisayuki Motohashi, a road maintenance official with the Shizuoka regional government.
Separately, Shizuoka police said Thursday they were called to rescue two hikers. A man who appeared to be in his 30s or 40s was found collapsed near the summit Wednesday, while another man who appeared to be in his 60s was found fallen on a trail the same day, according to a local police official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official did not provide details on either man's condition.
The Shizuoka regional government and official mountain guides posted videos and photos Thursday morning showing access roads and gravel trails covered in dense mist and rain.
Mount Fuji draws more than 200,000 hikers annually during its official opening period from July through September. Local police rescue dozens of people and report a handful of deaths each year.
In recent years, communities around the mountain have tightened access rules to ease overtourism, including efforts to stop poorly equipped climbers from attempting the summit and a requirement that visitors spend at least one night in a trailside hut.
On Tuesday, hundreds of athletes competing in the Asian Games were briefly evacuated from their accommodation in host city Nagoya after record rainfall hit the region.
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