Backpack Caught While Getting Off Lift... Australian Woman in Her 20s Dies at Japanese Ski Resort

Backpack Waist Buckle Caught in Lift Chair
Ski Resorts Across Japan Tighten Safety Rules
Past Accidents Also Involved Backpacks and Clothing Getting Caught

A woman in her 20s from Australia died in an accident at a ski resort in Japan after being dragged while hanging from a ski lift. On the 3rd, local media including Fuji News Network (FNN) in Japan reported that a 22-year-old Australian woman was involved in an accident while getting off a lift on January 30 at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Otari Village, Nagano Prefecture.

At a ski resort in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, a female Australian tourist in her 20s was found hanging from a ski lift and died. TBS

The woman was transported to a hospital in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest, but she ultimately died on February 1, two days after the accident. According to an explanation from the ski resort operator, at the time of the accident she had fastened only the chest strap of her backpack, while the waist belt was unfastened. As she attempted to get off the lift, the buckle of the backpack’s waist belt became caught between parts of the lift chair structure, causing her body to be dragged along with it.

An employee at a monitoring post near the station noticed what was happening, immediately pressed the emergency stop button for the lift, and promptly began rescue efforts, but was unable to prevent the fatal outcome.

The operator halted lift operations immediately after the accident and stated that it would "draw up safety measures to prevent a recurrence." In the wake of this incident, other ski resorts in Nagano Prefecture have also moved to strengthen their safety management. Togakushi Ski Resort installed new signs on January 31 advising guests not to ride the lift while wearing a backpack on their back, but instead to hold the backpack in their arms or place it beside them when boarding.

The resort also strengthened verbal safety instructions from staff before lift boarding and revised its internal rules so that operations are to be stopped immediately if any sign of danger is detected. A representative of Togakushi Ski Resort stressed, "Even if a strap or buckle is sticking out just a little, it can easily get caught," adding, "It is most important to follow the instructions of the staff."

The resort further explained on its website that "because the woman had fastened the chest buckle of her backpack, the backpack did not come off her body and she was dragged along with the lift," and added, "We will cooperate with investigations by the police and relevant authorities, and we will work to establish a safe operational system."

Meanwhile, similar accidents involving clothing or equipment getting caught while using ski lifts have occurred repeatedly in Japan in the past. In 2019, at a ski resort in Hokkaido, a snowboard equipment strap became entangled in a lift, leaving a guest hanging in midair, and in 2022, there was also a reported case at a ski resort in Niigata Prefecture in which a coat string got caught on a chair, causing injury.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.