Father leaves 7-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji to continue hike, reports say
BBC World
BBC World
Original Source
Japanese police reprimanded a 48-year-old father for abandoning his seven-year-old son on Mount Fuji for eight hours while he continued climbing with his older child. Mountain hut staff discovered the boy alone at over 2,000 meters elevation in foggy, rainy conditions and alerted authorities.
A father has been reprimanded by police after leaving his son on Japan's highest mountain for several hours with just a soft drink and snack.
The seven-year-old was spotted sitting on a bench on Mount Fuji in foggy and rainy conditions, at a point situated at over 2,000m (6,500ft).
His father, 48, reportedly told him to "wait here" after the boy complained he was tired - and continued the climb with his elder son.
Staff at a mountain hut found the child near the sixth station of a hiking route towards the summit and alerted police. His father was tracked down between the route's seventh and eighth stations - said to be a three-hour hike away.
The boy was found on his own at 07:30 local time on Thursday (22:30 GMT).
Officers castigated his father when he returned from the higher station and reunited with his son, who is said to have been "tired and fussy" after eight hours of waiting.
"Even if it means having to give up on climbing the mountain together, leaving a child behind is unacceptable," one told him, according to Japan Today. He is said to have apologised for the "rash" decision.
The family was reported to have been on the Fujinomiya route, which starts from the fifth station on the mountain, a spot which is accessible by public transport.
From there it takes around five hours to reach the peak and a further three hours to get down, climbing guides suggest.
The seven-year-old was spotted sitting on a bench on Mount Fuji in foggy and rainy conditions, at a point situated at over 2,000m (6,500ft).
His father, 48, reportedly told him to "wait here" after the boy complained he was tired - and continued the climb with his elder son.
Staff at a mountain hut found the child near the sixth station of a hiking route towards the summit and alerted police. His father was tracked down between the route's seventh and eighth stations - said to be a three-hour hike away.
The boy was found on his own at 07:30 local time on Thursday (22:30 GMT).
Officers castigated his father when he returned from the higher station and reunited with his son, who is said to have been "tired and fussy" after eight hours of waiting.
"Even if it means having to give up on climbing the mountain together, leaving a child behind is unacceptable," one told him, according to Japan Today. He is said to have apologised for the "rash" decision.
The family was reported to have been on the Fujinomiya route, which starts from the fifth station on the mountain, a spot which is accessible by public transport.
From there it takes around five hours to reach the peak and a further three hours to get down, climbing guides suggest.
🔗 Share Article
Tags:#اليابان#جبل فوجي#الطفولة#السلامة#الشرطة اليابانية
Source: BBC World
For Context
Related reads from the same topic or latest developments
