A French national was in critical condition on Thursday after he was caught with seven compatriots in an avalanche near a ski resort in northern Japan, a local official said. The eight were hit by the avalanche near Tomamu in central Hokkaido, according to an official with the local firefighting department. "A Frenchman, aged 39, was unconscious and in critical condition," Hideki Morita told AFP, but it was not immediately clear if he had been taken to hospital. "The remaining seven people safely descended from the mountain." The party of eight was caught in an off-limit area, public broadcaster NHK added. Tomamu is home to a sprawling Club Med resort, the French-headquartered company owned by China's Fosun Group. si/fox/qan