The city's fire department received an emergency
call at around 6:45 a.m. saying the girl, Miki
Ito, and her mother Mayumi, 45, were found collapsed at a
mountain near the Sukayu hot springs resort in the city.
The girl was pronounced dead at the site by rescue workers who
rushed to the scene, while the mother was taken to a nearby
hospital with two of her relatives, who became sick, according to
rescue workers. There is no threat to the lives of Mayumi and the
two others, they added.
The police said the girl and three others, who were at the
mountain picking edible wild plants, may have inhaled toxic gas
that might have been generated in the area.
The mother and daughter were staying at the hot spring resort
with seven people who are their relatives since Saturday evening,
the police said, adding that seven of the nine-member group went
into the mountain to collect wild plants on early Sunday
morning.
Police are searching the mountains to see if there are more
people in the area, they said.
The Hakkoda
Mountains is a volcanic range that lies to the south
of Aomori City.