A 54-year-old man died in hospital after being rescued from the wreckage of his car garage which was crushed by accumulated snow, local media reported.

The man was trapped for two hours under the wreckage in Myoko city, northwest of Tokyo, one of the areas hardest hit by heavy snow in the past month, the reports said.

Two mentally disabled men were buried under a wooden-framed house that was also crushed under snow in nearby Joetsu, the reports said. One managed to escape but the other died.

Temperatures rose Saturday in many areas heavily blanketed in snow causing avalanches, including one some 300 to 400 meters long (990 to 1,320 feet) and 30 to 40 meters wide at a ski slope.

Police are investigating whether anyone was injured on the slope in Shimane prefecture, west of Tokyo.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency issued warnings for avalanches caused by the rapid increase in temperatures and rain over the weekend in the areas covered by heavy snow.

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