Army troops deployed as heavy snowfall in Japan kills six

At least six people have died and more than 1000 were trapped in the mountains of Japan due to heavy snowfall in recent days.

Cold weather has been lashing most of the country since Friday and has accumulated almost a metre of snow in the villages of Okura in the north and Shirakawa in the southwest.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the northern city of Sukayu registered a snowfall of 116cm.

Meteorological conditions in the country have resulted in the deaths of at least six people, the Yomiuri daily reported.

Two people, both 78, died when a truck fell into a river in Tomaya prefecture due to an icy road, according to local police.

Police also attributed the deaths of two men in the same region and another person in a western area of Fukui to the heavy snowfall.

On Sunday, about 1260 people were trapped in their homes in Tokushima prefecture, of which 770 residents still cannot be contacted, according to the Kyodo news agency.

Japanese army troops have been deployed in the mountainous region to help the inhabitants and unblock access to the area where snow and wind have blocked the roads and cut the electricity supply.

In addition to cancellation of 60 domestic flights over the weekend, the snowstorms have also interrupted the roadway and railway transportation in other regions of the country.