An Australian woman died after her backpack got caught on a ski lift on a Japanese mountain, which left her suspended in midair after she attempted to disembark, police said Monday.
The 22-year-old woman was preparing to get off the lift on Friday morning when the incident took place at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Hakuba Valley, a popular ski destination in Nagano Prefecture.
A loose buckle from her backpack got caught in the lift chair, according to lift operator Tsugaike Gondola Lift.
The woman, who had the rucksack＊s chest strap fastened, was then dragged by the lift and became suspended in midair, a spokesman for Nagano regional police said.
※Because the chest strap was fastened, the backpack could not be removed from the (woman＊s) body, and the guest was dragged along with the backpack after disembarking from the lift,§ Tsugaike Gondola Lift＊s president, Tsuneo Kubo, said in a statement.
※An attendant pressed the stop button to halt the lift. After rescue efforts, the guest was transported by ambulance to hospital,§ he said.
The woman died in hospital on Sunday, the police spokesperson said.
Kubo said his company is cooperating with investigators and pledged to improve its safety.
※We will handle matters with the utmost sincerity for our deceased guest and her bereaved family members,§ he said.
※We take this situation seriously and will strive to operate the ski resort with the utmost safety measures to ensure our guests can enjoy it with peace of mind,§ it said.
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