A visitor aged 53 was discovered deceased by ski resort staff at the mountain peak where the gondola he was riding came to a stop. 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 the person experienced a cardiac arrest while riding the mountain lift alone.
Efforts to revive the man using a defibrillator by two ski patrollers were unsuccessful, and emergency services, along with local law enforcement, arrived on the scene. Despite their attempts, the man was pronounced 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 zone.
Tragically, on December 28, a five-year-old boy lost his life at Asarigawa Onsen ski resort in Otaru, Japan, after his arm became entangled in a lift mechanism. The child fell and got trapped in the ski travelator machinery, leading to his demise. Authorities are currently investigating the incident at the well-known ski resort.
According to local reports, Hinata Goto was about to disembark the travelator when he fell, resulting in his arm being caught in the machinery. Despite the safety features of the travelator, it only stopped when the boy’s mother activated the emergency stop button. Rescue personnel spent 40 minutes disassembling parts of the travelator to free the unconscious child before rushing him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
An investigation is underway to determine if any negligence occurred in the installation or maintenance of the travelator. Staff members at Asarigawa Onsen Ski Resort have stated that the safety features were operational earlier in the day. The travelator, which was installed approximately six years ago, measures 30m in length and 60cm in width and serves as a connection between the resort’s parking lot and ski slopes.
Commonly known as “magic carpet” lifts, travelator ski lifts are typically found on beginner slopes. Some visitors have reported instances of tripping on the specific travelator where the tragic incident occurred, as noted by Japanese media reports.