A tourist, aged 53, was discovered deceased by ski resort staff as the gondola he was riding reached the mountain’s peak. The individual’s body was found by the gondola operator on January 6 at Val Cenis ski resort in Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, southeastern France. It is suspected that he experienced a cardiac arrest after boarding the mountain lift alone.
Efforts to resuscitate the man were made by two ski patrollers using a defibrillator, and emergency services and local police promptly responded. Unfortunately, the man was declared dead on-site. Concurrently, another tragic incident occurred on the same day at Les Menuires resort in Savoie, where a Spanish skier was discovered unconscious near a rock in an unmarked skiing area.
Additionally, on December 28, a tragic incident unfolded at Asarigawa Onsen ski resort in Otaru, Japan, resulting in the death of a five-year-old boy whose arm became trapped in a lift. The child lost his life after falling and becoming entangled in the ski travelator’s machinery, according to Japanese media reports. Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident at the popular ski location.
Reports from local media indicate that Hinata Goto was in the process of disembarking the travelator when he fell, leading to his right arm getting caught in the machinery. Despite the safety measures of the travelator, it only came to a stop when the boy’s mother activated the emergency stop.
Rescue teams spent approximately 40 minutes dismantling sections of the travelator to extricate the unconscious boy, who was then transported to the hospital and pronounced dead. Police are conducting an investigation to determine if any negligence was involved in the installation or maintenance of the travelator, with reports suggesting that the safety features were operational earlier in the day at Asarigawa Onsen Ski Resort.
The travelator, measuring 30m (98 ft) in length and 60cm (24 in) in width, was installed around six years ago and lacks handrails. This device connects the resort’s car park to the ski slopes and is commonly referred to as a “magic carpet” lift, typically found on beginner slopes. Visitors have mentioned experiencing difficulties on the specific travelator where the tragic incident occurred, as reported by Japanese media.