Two men were swept away by an avalanche in Japan were found dead, police said today, a day after the accident in Nagano Prefecture, in the central part of the country.

Japanese authorities have not yet identified the two men, but US ski magazine Mountain Gazette reported that 31-year-old snowboard champion Kyle Schman was killed yesterday in an avalanche in Nagano.

Two men traveling with him posted on Instagram that he had died in the avalanche.

The newspaper reported that he was with another professional skier, Adam Yu, and the publication’s chief photojournalist, Grant Gooderson.

Japanese police officer Tomohiro Kusubiki said the two men were found in a state of “cardiac and respiratory arrest,” a term used in Japan when a medical examiner had not yet pronounced a death.

The two men were off the slopes on Sunday near Otari Station with 11 other skiers and snowboarders when the avalanche formed.

Three more people were swept away by him, but managed to free themselves. However, two foreigners were still missing last night.

Kushibiki noted that he could neither confirm the identity of the two men found dead today nor their nationality.

Source: RES