An 81-year-old man died after falling into an irrigation canal while he was shoveling snow in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, on February 25.

Police and fire department officials said the man was shoveling snow alone in the early afternoon near his home in the village of Otari when snow from a roof fell on him.

That caused him to fall into the canal that was about 50 centimeters wide and 80 centimeters deep and get caught beneath the snow.

Shortly before 5 p.m., his family found him in the snow and dug him out with the help of neighbors.

The officials said the man was taken to hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

The village had 157 centimeters of accumulated snow as of 5 p.m. on February 25.

This was the fifth snow-related death in Nagano Prefecture in February.