A 6-year-old boy was killed and another child was seriously injured after being hit by snow, falling from the roof of their kindergarten in northeastern Japan. The boy died in hospital late Monday. It happens after about 20 inches of snow slid off the roof of the 2-story public kindergarten in Fukui prefecture without warning. The snow stroked him and two other playmates. A 5-year-old boy was seriously injured and another child suffered a minor shoulder injury. Heavy snow across Japan since December has been blamed for hundreds of injuries and cut off access to multiple mountain villages. A government team visited Nagano prefecture, one of the hardest-hit regions, and met with local officials earlier Monday. Nagano officials asked the central government for more money to clear snow and to compensate victim farmers. The team will also call on Tsunan town in Niigata prefecture, which was blanketed with 9.5 feet of snow.

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