Father left 7-year-old son alone on Japan's highest mountain, and continued his ascent
On Mount Fuji in Japan, a seven-year-old boy was found alone on a bench in the fog and rain. The child was at an altitude of over 2000 meters and only had a carbonated drink and a small snack with him, according to the BBC.
Mount Fuji. Photo: vecteezy.com
According to local media reports, the 48-year-old father, after his son complained of tiredness, told him to wait in place and continued the ascent with his elder son.
Mountain hut staff found the boy near the sixth station of one of the routes and reported it to the police. The father was later found at the eighth station, which was about a three-hour walk from where the child was located.
The boy was found around 7:30 AM on Thursday local time. When the man returned to his son, police officers spoke with him and cautioned him that leaving a small child alone in such conditions is unacceptable, even if it means giving up a joint ascent.
Reportedly, the father admitted he made a rash decision and apologized.
The family was following the Fujinomiya route, which starts from the mountain's fifth station. From there, it usually takes about five hours to reach the summit, and the descent takes approximately another three hours.
Fuji is an active volcano 3776 meters high, located southwest of Tokyo. It is Japan's highest mountain. In 2013, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Approximately 200,000 people climb Fuji annually. However, some routes have visitor number restrictions to prevent overcrowding. In recent years, several climbing-related incidents have occurred on the mountain.