Australian Woman Dies After Mishap on Ski Lift in Nagano Prefecture

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:35 JST, February 1, 2026

NAGANO — An Australian national has died in a hospital after being suspended in midair from a ski lift in Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Otari, Nagano Prefecture, on Friday. The woman, identified by police as Brooke Day, 22, was found in cardiac arrest at the scene on Friday when the accident occurred, according to police on Sunday.

According to Tsugaike Gondola Lift Co., the resort’s operator, the accident occurred as the woman was attempting to disembark the lift. An unfastened waist belt buckle on her backpack became snagged on the machinery. Her backpack’s chest strap was still securely fastened, causing her to be dragged along the snow. As the lift continued moving, she became suspended in midair.

Staff then stopped the lift and rescued the woman.

The resort has suspended operations of the lift indefinitely as safety reviews continue.