Australian woman dies after becoming caught in Japan ski lift

A 22-year-old Australian woman died after her backpack caught on a ski lift in Japan. Photo / Getty Images

An Australian woman died after her backpack caught on a ski lift on a Japanese mountain and she became suspended mid-air, police have said.

The 22-year-old woman was preparing to get off the lift on Friday morning at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Hakuba Valley, a popular ski destination in the central region of Nagano.

But a loose buckle from her backpack became caught in the lift chair, according to the lift operator Tsugaike Gondola Lift.

The woman, who had secured the rucksack with a chest strap, was then dragged by the lift and became “suspended” mid-air, a spokesman for Nagano regional police told AFP on customary condition of anonymity.

“Because the chest strap was fastened, the backpack could not be removed from the [woman’s] body, and the guest was dragged with the backpack after disembarking from the lift,” Tsugaike Gondola Lift’s president, Tsuneo Kubo, said.

“An attendant pressed the stop button to halt the lift. After rescue efforts, the guest was transported by ambulance to hospital.”

The woman died in hospital on Sunday, the police spokesman said.

Kubo said the firm was co-operating 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.

“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.”

- Agence France-Presse