Japanese father dies while keeping daughter alive in snowstorm

A father in his 50s cradled his daughter in a massive snowstorm in Hokkaido, Japan, in a major snowstorm, keeping her alive while freezing himself to death, the local Mainichi newspaper reported Monday.

The demise came upon the 53-year-old Mikeo Okada, a fisherman, who was found dead next to his daughter, the nine-year-old Nazne, virtually buried in heavy snow, the report said.

The girl was dressed in a ski outfit and was suffering from slight hyperthermia but her life was not in danger, police investigators said, adding that Okada froze to death.

The rescue team that found the two said Okada wrapped his jumper around his daughter in an apparent effort to keep her warmer as they struggled in the snowstorm which accumulated to more than 2 meters.

In a related development, a family of four asphyxiated to death in their car after it stalled in the same snowstorm.

Investigators said the driver, apparently the father, kept the engine running to keep the family warm but the carbon monoxide from the combustion backfired into the interior of the car, thus suffocating the entire four.