A five-year-old boy has died in a tragic accident at a ski resort in Japan. The boy, Hinata Goto, was trapped inside a moving walkway, called a travellator. The accident happened on Sunday, December 28, in front of his horrified family.
The family was at the Asarigawa Onsen Ski Resort. The resort is in Otaru, on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Hinata was skiing with his family. He tried to step onto the travellator, which takes people from the car park to the ski slopes.
How Did the Accident Happen?
According to police, the young boy fell near the exit of the moving walkway. His right arm became stuck in the machine’s belt. The machine continued to move for several seconds. His mother was finally able to hit the emergency stop button.
Rescue workers arrived quickly. Firefighters tried to free Hinata’s trapped arm. The boy was stuck for about 40 minutes. Rescuers had to take apart a whole section of the escalator to reach him. During this time, Hinata lost consciousness.
Once freed, he was rushed to a hospital. Doctors could not save him. He was pronounced dead a short time later.
Why Didn’t the Machine Stop?
Officials have started an investigation. A key question is why the machine’s safety system failed. Police said the travellator has an automatic safety mechanism. This mechanism is designed to stop if something gets trapped. It had worked earlier that same day. But it did not activate when Hinata got caught.
Concerns About the Travellator
The moving walkway was installed just six years ago. It is less than 100 feet long and 24 inches wide. It does not have handrails on either side.
Local media reports say visitors have expressed worries about it before. One regular skier told a newspaper, “Even as an adult, there are times when I think, ‘It’s a little scary.'”
A representative for the ski resort apologized for the incident. They promised to take action to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.
The community is mourning the loss of young Hinata Goto. His family is devastated by the sudden and heartbreaking accident.