Australian Snowboarder Dies After Being Dragged By Chairlift at Japanese Resort

The incident took place at Tsugaike Mountain Resort. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

An Australian snowboarder has died in a chairlift accident at a Japanese resort. The 22-year-old’s backpack became entangled in the lift and dragged her along the snow until she suffered cardiac arrest.

On Friday, Brooke Day was visiting the Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Hakuba Valley, Japan. As The Guardian reports, the resort explained that an unfastened waist belt buckle on Day’s backpack became hooked on the lift chair while the chest strap was still fastened. This caused her to be dragged along the snow and suspended in mid-air.

An attendant activated the emergency shutoff. Day was found to have suffered from cardiac arrest and rushed to a hospital.

The Tsugaike Mountain resort and Tsugaike Gondola Lift Co jointly apologized for the accident and said an investigation would be launched into the fatal incident.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that it was “providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Japan.” and added that, “We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time.”