An Australian woman has died in an accident at a ski resort in the Hakuba Valley of Japan. 22-year-old Ella Day Brooke died Friday at Tsugaike Mountain Resort after her backpack got caught on chairlift while unloading at the top station and she was left hanging in mid-air.
Japanese news agency Kyodo reports an unfastened waist belt buckle on her backpack became hooked on the chairlift while a chest strap was still securely fastened, causing her to be dragged along the snow and suspended mid-air. The chairlift was stopped by an attendant who pressed an emergency button and the snowboarder was rushed to hospital after suffering what appeared to be a cardiac arrest.
An investigation has been launched into the fatal incident. Our thoughts are with the victims family and friends.
