Japanese cyclist killed in northern Russia

Moscow: Well-known Japanese traveller Haruhisa Watanabe, who was preparing to ride a bicycle across all CIS countries, was killed in a road accident near Kandalaksha in the Murmansk region of Russia.

Watanabe was in the middle of a bicycle tour around Russia when he was killed Wednesday, and had spent December braving freezing temperatures and treacherous icy conditions in Russia`s vast north, reports Xinhua. Watanabe became the youngest Japanese to conquer the tallest mountains on each of the seven continents. The Japanese Consulate in St. Petersburg is liaising with local authorities to arrange for the repatriation of Watanabe`s remains. IANS