A young Queensland woman has died after a tragic accident on a ski lift at a popular snow resort in Japan, prompting an outpouring of grief from her family and officials.
Sunshine Coast woman Brooke Day, 22, was at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Otari, in Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, when the incident occurred about 9am on Friday. Day, who had been working in Japan, became caught on a ski lift shortly after disembarking, according to the resort’s operator.
In a statement, Tsugaike Gondola Lift Co. said the accident happened when “a buckle at the end of an unfastened waist belt attached to a backpack carried by a customer became caught in the lift carriage”.
“Since the chest strap was fastened, the backpack remained attached to the body,” the company said.
“After disembarking the lift, the customer was dragged along with the backpack. Subsequently, staff pressed the stop button to halt the lift. Prompt rescue efforts were carried out, and the customer was transported by ambulance.”
Despite the efforts of resort staff and emergency responders, Day was taken to hospital in cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead shortly after, the resort confirmed.
Her devastated parents have since left their home in Queensland and are travelling to Japan to be with their daughter.
Tsugaike Mountain Resort president and representative director Tsuneo Kubo expressed condolences to the family, describing the loss as deeply distressing.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and sincerely pray for the peace of the departed,” he said in a statement. “Our company will respond with sincerity and dedication to the bereaved family and the deceased guest. We will continue to fully co-operate with the police and relevant authorities in their investigation.”
Kubo said the resort would review its safety procedures and work to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring again, including strengthening safety management, increasing awareness around the handling of equipment, and enhancing monitoring systems for lift operations.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it is providing consular assistance to Brooke’s family. “We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” a DFAT spokesperson said. “Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”
The circumstances surrounding Day’s death remain under investigation by local authorities.
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