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A FIVE-YEAR-OLD boy died after his right arm became trapped in a travelator, or moving walkway, at a ski resort in northern Japan on Sunday, according to local authorities cited by Kyodo News.
Fire officials said they received an emergency call from the boy’s mother at about 10am, reporting that her child had become caught in the travelator at the resort in Otaru, Hokkaido.
The victim was identified as Hinata Goto, a resident of Sapporo, a major city near Otaru.
Police and fire officials said the boy is believed to have fallen while attempting to get off the moving walkway, which connects the resort’s parking area to the ski slopes. The travelator was not equipped with handrails.
Resort officials told Kyodo News that the emergency stop function of the walkway did not activate automatically at the time of the incident, forcing the boy’s mother to manually press the stop button.
According to the officials, the safety system had been operating normally during routine inspections conducted earlier on the same day.
As resort staff were unable to free the child, rescue workers were forced to dismantle part of the equipment’s structure to remove him.
A representative of the resort apologised for the incident and said an investigation would be carried out to determine the cause, adding that measures would be taken to prevent a similar accident from occurring in the future.
Police and resort management said the belt-type travelator, which was installed about six years ago, measures approximately 30 metres in length and about 60 centimetres in width.
The ski resort has remained open following the incident, but the travelator involved has been closed. - December 29, 2025
