Heavy snow kills 13 and leaves more than 10,000 homes without power in Japan

Recent snowfall across several regions in Japan has killed 13, injured more than 80 and left more than 10,000 households without power.

By late Saturday afternoon, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency warned that more than 30 had been seriously injured and more than 50 had minor injuries.

Along the coast in northern Japan, high waves and snowstorms could cause snow as deep as 60cm (2ft), according to the Meteorological Agency.

Train and aeroplane services were disrupted in northern Japan, and some parts of central and western areas experienced traffic disruption, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Snow began on the weekend of 17 December and left hundreds of vehicles stranded and three dead in parts of northwestern Japan such as Niigata, Yamagata and Aomori prefectures.

An man aged 85 died after falling into a ditch while removing snow in the hardest-hit town of Kashiwazaki in the port city of Niigata.

In the northern island Hokkaido, a woman, 63, was crushed between two trucks trying to get out of the snow, and in Akita, according to official reports, a 73-year-old man fell to the ground while removing rooftop snow and died.

Self-Defence Force troops helped clear highways in Niigata, where hundreds of cars and delivery trucks were stuck in lines stretching more than 12 miles (20km).

Food and other necessities were delivered to those stranded in their vehicles by local volunteers.

Weather conditions had slightly improved at the beginning of the week, with road closures being lifted on Tuesday.

But this weekend, another snowstorm has affected the region, taking the death toll up to 13.