Student rescued from mountain twice in four days – after going back to find his phone

A Chinese student who was airlifted from Japan’s Mount Fuji last week had to be saved a second time just four days later, local authorities have said.

The 27-year-old climber made an emergency call on 22 April after getting altitude sickness on the mountain’s Fujinomiya trail, about 3,000 metres (nearly 10,000 feet) above sea level.

It is the peak’s off-season, when officials urge people to be aware of incredibly harsh conditions.

But four days later, police said they received another call to the mountain after the student, who has not been named, returned to look for his phone and other belongings left behind.

They said another climber found him there unable to move after he apparently developed altitude sickness for a second time.

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There is no penalty when a climber needs to be rescued, but the Chinese student’s case prompted outrage on social media and calls for him to be charged, at least for his second rescue.

The Shizuoka police urged all climbers to use caution, noting that the mountain has low temperatures and is covered in snow even in spring.

The mountain’s hiking trails are officially open only from July to early September, but there is not a ban on hiking off-season.

Local authorities introduced entry fees and caps on the number of entrants on the most popular trail last year, and say they will introduce similar rules on other main trails later this year, whereas climbing off-season and off trail has no charge.