Ten Japanese were feared dead in a funicular railcar fire at an Austrian ski resort which killed some 170 people, a foreign ministry official said Sunday.
"The possibility is very high that the 10 Japanese nationals were among the victims because the 10 have been missing since they left their hotel for skiing on the day," said the official in Tokyo.
"We have set up a special task-force office at the Japanese embassy in Vienna while a total of six foreign ministry officials are to go to the venue."
News reports said five family members of the Japanese victims were to leave Tokyo for the Austrian Alps late Sunday.
The Japanese were on a skiing training trip at the Kitzsteinhorn glacier resort 350 kilometers (220 miles) west of Vienna, according to the ministry.
They included a 42-year-old ski instructor, four 14-year-old junior high school students and two 22-year-old college students.
Rescue operations began Sunday to recover some 170 bodies from the charred wreckage of the funicular train stuck in a tunnel that carves through the ski resort -- TOKYO (AFP)
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