5-year-old boy dies after arm trapped in ski resort elevator in Hokkaido

A five-year-old boy died after his arm was trapped in an elevator at a ski resort in Hokkaido for about 40 minutes, with the safety device failing to activate.

The incident occurred around 10am on Sunday at the Asarigawa Onsen ski area in Otaru. The boy, identified as Hinata Goto from Sapporo, was skiing with family. While moving from the parking lot to the slope via the covered escalator-type elevator, he fell and his right arm became stuck in a gap.

It took about 40 minutes for rescuers to free him after his mother called emergency services. He was unconscious and pronounced dead at hospital.

The resort installed two 60-meter-long covered conveyors six years ago to cover the distance from the parking area. Staff conduct daily morning checks, and none were reported before the incident.

The elevator, set on a slope, curves downward to the right about one meter before the top. There were no staff guiding or monitoring the boarding area. The resort said the conveyor should stop automatically if items like ski poles or shoes get caught, but it did not stop when the boy's arm was trapped. Someone had to press the emergency stop button.

A resort official said while there had been past incidents of falls and fractures, this was the first case of someone being trapped this way.