Hinata Goto: Five-year-old boy dies after getting arm caught in Japan ski travelator
A five year old boy has tragically died after a horror incident on an outdoor ski travelator in Japan.
Hinata Goto was on holiday with his family at a Hokkaido ski resort when the tragedy struck on Sunday morning local time.
The boy was about to step off the travelator when he fell down and his right arm became trapped in the machinery, local media reports.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.A safety mechanism on the travelator is believed to have failed and the travelator belt continued to turn for several seconds, and only stopped when Hinata’s mother hit the emergency stop button.
The boy gradually fell unconscious as emergency crews worked feverishly to dismantle the mechanism in order to free him. The rescue bid by local police and fire department officers took 40 minutes before Hinata was then rushed to hospital.
Tragically, he was pronounced dead soon after.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident at the Asarigawa Onsen Ski Resort in Otaru and whether any negligence was involved.
It is understood the travelator, which connects the carpark to the ski slopes, is about six years old and about 30m long and 60cm wide, with no hand rails.
Japanese media have quoted other visitors as saying that they, too, had previously had issues with the machine.
“Even as an adult, there are times when I think, ‘It’s a little scary’,” one regular customer told Asahi Shimbun.
Kensuke Tamagawa, general manager of the ski hill, told the outlet that no staff were near the escalator when Hinata became trapped.
Workers were not assigned to stand by the escalator for safety purposes, instead, if a problem occurred, other staffers, including those who shovel snow, were expected to rush to the scene.
Tamagawa also said workers check to ensure the safety mechanism is working properly every morning.
A spokesperson for the ski resort, located in Japan’s ski capital of Hokkaido, apologised for the incident in local media and said they will take action to prevent a recurrence.
