7-year-old boy left alone by father on Mount Fuji for 8 hours

In Japan, a 48-year-old father left his 7-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji, the country's highest peak, to continue hiking with his older son. This was reported by the BBC.

It is reported that after the young boy complained of being tired, the father left him with drinks and food and continued climbing up the mountain. On August 20, the 7-year-old boy was found sitting alone on a bench at an altitude of over 2,000 meters in foggy and rainy weather.

Mountain shelter staff spotted the boy near the sixth station of the trail leading to the summit and immediately notified the police. The father was located between the seventh and eighth stations, about a three-hour walk away. It turned out that the boy had waited for his father to return from the higher station for nearly eight hours.

Law enforcement authorities gave the father a severe reprimand for his decision. They emphasized that even if it meant abandoning the plan to climb the mountain, a young child should never be left alone in such conditions.

The father apologized for his "hasty" decision. The family had been traveling along the Fujinomiya route, which can be reached by public transport up to the fifth station.

Mountaineering experts say that the climb from the fifth station to the summit of Fuji takes about five hours, and the descent takes another three hours.

Dangers on Mount Fuji

Various incidents have been recorded in recent years on the 3,776-meter-high Mount Fuji. For instance, in July, a 99-year-old woman fell while attempting to hike the trail, suffering injuries to her pelvis and lower back. She was later rescued.

Located southwest of Tokyo, Mount Fuji was granted World Heritage status in 2013. Along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku, it is considered one of Japan's three traditional "Sacred Mountains."

Every year, nearly 200,000 people set out to conquer Mount Fuji. However, to prevent overcrowding and manage the flow of tourists, daily visitor limits have been introduced on certain routes.