TOKYO — Japanese rescue forces have saved two exhausted Vietnamese climbers in Mount Biei, located in Japan’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.

Japanese police and firefighters said that they received a distress signal from two Vietnamese women, both in their 30s, at 6pm on July 14 (local time). The women, who were stuck on the 2,052m-high Mount Biei, said that they were "exhausted and unable to keep going".

Earlier, the two women were hiking with two others who already descended the mountain and called firefighters for help. They reported that one of their companions had injured her knee and could not move.

The two women spent the night of July 14 in a tent on the mountain. The rescue team confirmed their safety by midnight. However, due to dangerous terrain and darkness, they could not ensure the injured woman's safety through ground transportation.

On the morning of July 15, the rescue team deployed a helicopter to evacuate the two women from the mountain. — VNS