Three resort workers die in suspected gas poisoning near hot spring in Japan

Three staff at a hot spring resort, or onsen, have died in an area where high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide, a toxic byproduct of volcanic hot springs, have been recorded. Photograph: Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images

Three people have died in north-east Japan in an accident that authorities suspect is linked to the inhalation of deadly gas found in the country’s famed hot spring resorts.

Japanese media said the three men, who all worked at a nearby hotel, were found in a mountainous area near the city of Fukushima on Tuesday. They were discovered in an area of Takayu Onsen (hot spring) where high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide, a toxic byproduct of volcanic hot springs, have been recorded.