Heavy snow in Japan kills 19 people, injures 365 others

Heavy snow over the weekend across Japan has killed 19 people and injured 365 others as of Monday evening, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Most of the victims were in the Gunma and Saitama prefectures located north of Tokyo, the agency said.Snowfall continued to paralyze traffic in inland prefectures of central Japan and thousands of people remained trapped in their homes, cars and trains on Monday, public broadcaster NHK reported. In Nagano Prefecture, more than 500 vehicles have been stuck since Saturday morning, according to NHK. In neighboring Yamanashi Prefecture, nearly 50 spots on main roads have been blocked due to heavy snow, stranding more than 1, 000 motorists.Hundreds of flights and trains have been also canceled since heavy snow began falling Friday, the operators said.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament on Monday that the government will dispatch a team to Yamanashi Prefecture to assess the situation and see what assistance is needed. More than 104 centimeters has recorded in a town in Yamanashi.The Japan Meteorological Agency said more snow is expected to fall again later this week along the Pacific coast of western to eastern Japan, including Tokyo. Earlier this month, rare snow storm also left 13 people dead and some 1, 700 others injured, and disrupted air travel, rail service and major highways.