A worker has died and another treated in hospital after being stranded on a mountain in Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, by heavy snow which hits several prefectures in western and southwestern Japan, local press reported on Friday.

A 46-year-old electrical maintenance engineer and his colleague were rescued and carried to hospitals by Thursday evening after being trapped on a snow-covered mountain in Kitahiroshima Town of the prefecture for hours, but the engineer died on Friday, according to Japan's public broadcaster Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK).

The report cited local rescue officials as saying that they made an emergency call for help after entering the snowy mountain and climbing up to around 1,000 meters to do repair works in a wireless communication base station at the high place.

Meanwhile, the snowfall has also forced road operators to close motorways in many areas including Fukuoka Prefecture in northern Kyushu, southwestern Japan, since the morning hours on Friday.

Local weather authorities expect snow and freezing temperatures caused by cold air from the north to affect many parts of western Japan on the day.