More than 100 shelter overnight in shrine due to heavy snow

More than 100 people have had to shelter in a shrine on a mountain top in Japan after heavy snowfall cut off access by road.

Around 130 people were forced to spend the night in the halls and lobbies of the Mitsumine Shrine in the Saitama prefecture on Friday after the roads around it were closed due to safety concerns, public broadcaster NHK reports.

The local authority confirmed the occupants of around 50 cars had stayed in the shrine building, and said no one had fallen ill.

Japan is experiencing heavy snowfall at present, with up to 40cm forecast to fall in some parts on Saturday.

Up to 80cm of snow has fallen in some parts of the country in the past 72 hours, data from the Japan Meteorological Agency shows, with more predicted to fall as a cold front persists.

Several accidents around the Mitsumine Shrine including cars slipping had prompted the road closure, NHK reported, citing local police.

Up to 4cm of snow has fallen in the region, while temperatures as low as -15C have made for icy conditions.

Located 1,110m (3,640 ft) above sea level in the mountains near the city of Chichibu, the Mitsumine Shrine is a popular centre for Shinto worship and is dedicated to Izanami and Izanagi, the divine couple credited with creating the Japanese islands.

The shrine is said to have been founded in the 1st Century by Prince Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, son of Emperor Keikō.