Toyama Prefecture, Japan – An avalanche swept Japan’s Mt. Masago on Saturday, killing seven backcountry skiers on the island of Honshu northwest of Tokyo, officials indicate.

The four men and three women perished in the slide on the 2,860-meter peak, estimated at 30 meters wide and 60 meters long. The victims were evacuated by helicopter to a local hospital, where they were declared dead.

Police were still searching the mountainside for other potential victims. The names of the deceased have not yet been released.