As heavy snow continued to hit coastal areas along the Sea of Japan on Thursday, several prefectures in western Japan were also affected by the snowfall.

According to a report by Japan's Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) public broadcaster, a village with more than 20 houses in Shiga Prefecture in western Japan was completely cut off after several avalanches occurred on Thursday at local roads.

Also, earlier in the day, a man was killed after his forklift truck collided with a lorry on a road through the prefecture under heavy snow. The NHK said the man was removing snow using the vehicle when the accident occurred.

Meanwhile, several main motorways connecting major cities in western Japan were partly closed and domestic operation of the air traffic over the affected areas was suspended due to the severe weather condition.

The Osaka District Meteorological Observatory said that Kami Town located in the highland area of Hyogo Prefecture recorded, by Thursday afternoon, a snow depth of more than 2 meters while Maizuru City, located in the north part of Kyoto Prefecture, recorded a depth of 87 centimeters, the highest level since 1947 when measurements began.

The office predicted more heavy snow along the Sea of Japan coast in western Japan, calling for maximum caution about snow- related accidents.