An eight-year-old Gold Coast girl has died in a snowmobile accident while on a family holiday in Japan.
Local media reported Chloe Jeffries was riding on a snowmobile with her mother when it flipped over an embankment during a tour near Hakuba Village on February 28. Japanese police reports said Chloe was a passenger on her mother’s snowmobile when it overturned in the Hokujo area of Nagano Prefecture.
Chloe suffered critical injuries and was flown to a hospital in Matsumoto, where she later died.
Her death is the fourth involving an Australian on Japan’s ski slopes this year, following the deaths of Victorian man Michael Hurst, 27, Sunshine Coast woman Brooke Day, 22, and Brisbane teenager Rylan Henry Priba, 17.
Back home, Chloe’s local netball community has been left heartbroken. The South Coast Netball Association said the eight-year-old was a bright and joyful presence whose “cheeky, infectious smile” lit up the courts.
“Chloe was a very special part of our South Coast netball family,” the club said in a tribute. “She brought joy simply by being herself. Her connection to our club will forever be remembered.”
The association said the loss is being felt deeply across the community, with thoughts now with Chloe’s parents, Fairlee and Daniel, and her sister as they face “unimaginable grief”.
A tribute will be held before the club’s first game of the 2026 season this weekend. Players, officials and supporters have been encouraged to wear sparkly pink armbands or ribbons — Chloe’s favourite colour — as a symbol of remembrance, and to share stories and memories in her honour.
“Chloe will always be remembered for her bright spirit, her endless love for her sister, and the happiness she brought to our netball community,” the association said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is providing consular assistance to the family. “We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” a spokesperson said. “Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.“
