Father, son still missing on mountain in Japan's Niigata as searches resume

TOKYO, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Search and rescue teams on Tuesday resumed their operations to locate a father and his son who went missing during a hike on a mountain two days ago in Japan's Niigata Prefecture.

Koya Shibuya, 37, and his son Sora, 6, contacted their family on Saturday morning to let them know that they were about to descend the mountain, now thought to be Mt. Matsudaira in the prefecture.

The family reported them missing to local officials later in the day, with authorities now believing the pair were descending Mt. Matsudaira, according to local police, as initial plans were for the father and son to scale two peaks.

Shibuya said he was lost and that he would sleep on the mountain with his son, according to a conversation he had with his father on Saturday evening.

Search and rescue operations began on Monday morning in inclement weather including rain, heavy mist and cold climes.

Police and rescue workers suspended the search on Monday evening, having failed to locate the missing pair.

A note, presumably left by Shibuya, found at the foot of Mt. Matsudaira said they intended to climb to the peak of the 954-meter mountain, rather than scale two mountains as originally thought.

The search area was extended after two hikers were spotted on one of the hiking trails on Mt. Matsudaira, local media reported. Enditem