Five-year-old Boy Dies After Arm Trapped in Ski Travelator at Hokkaido Resort
Five-year-old Hinata Goto died after his arm became trapped in a ski travelator at Asarigawa Onsen Ski Resort in Otaru, Hokkaido. He was about to step off when his right arm got caught, and rescue took about 40 minutes to dismantle the travelator. Hinata later died at the hospital.
The travelator involved is about six years old, roughly 30 meters long and 60 centimeters wide, and connects the car park to the ski slopes without handrails. Although the safety mechanism had worked earlier in the day, it did not activate during this incident. The machine stopped only after the boy's mother pressed the emergency stop.
Police have launched an investigation into possible professional negligence regarding the manufacturing and maintenance of the travelator. The resort has apologized and stated it will take action to prevent such incidents from happening again. Some visitors have previously stumbled on the travelator, with a regular customer noting it feels scary even for adults.
