TOKYO – Four members of a family believed to be Australian were safe at a ski resort in central Japan after having spent a night in the bitter cold on a mountain, police said on Tuesday.

Public broadcaster NHK said the mother and three sons, who appeared to be teenagers or in their 20s, had gone missing the previous day at the Nozawa Onsen ski resort in Nagano prefecture.

While skiing or snowboarding near the top of a mountain, they were unable to find their way down, the report said.

“They were shivering and appeared to be hypothermic after spending a night in the mountains when we found them,” a police rescue worker told NHK.

“It must have been a severe experience for them as they spent a night without food or provisions,” he said.

Nozawa Onsen is a hot springs and ski resort visited by many foreign skiers and snowboarders.