Tokyo, June 26 (IANS): Three people were found unconscious in an area near the crater of Mount Fuji in central Japan, local police said on Wednesday.

The three were found on the Shizuoka Prefecture side of the 3,776-metre mountain after a rescue team began a search for a 53-year-old man from Tokyo, who went missing after going to climb the mountain on Friday night, according to the police department of Shizuoka Prefecture.

The man was supposed to return the next day. On Saturday morning, he sent his family a photo near the summit. Sometime later, he reportedly went missing. His family made an emergency call on Sunday morning, reports Xinhua news agency, citing the police.

The three people were found lying unconscious apart from one another near the crater. The local police are working to confirm their identities.

Designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2013, the tallest mountain in Japan is a popular tourist destination straddling Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures.