TOKYO, Dec 17 : Northern Japan was in the grip of a blizzard on Wednesday as strong winds and heavy snow forced the cancellation of almost 300 flights and buried vehicles in deep drifts, officials and reports said.
More than 70 centimetres (28 inches) of snow had fallen on parts of the northern main island of Hokkaido in the 24 hours to 0500 GMT, according to the weather agency. The Hokkaido government has received at least two reports of injuries, including a 52-year-old man who broke his leg as a gust of wind blew shutters off a building.     ?AFP