A woman in her 70s fell 40 metres while being airlifted by a helicopter in Japan.

The incident happened on Sunday, Oct. 13, at about 10:06am in Iwaki city, Fukushima Prefecture, Abema News reported.

According to The Nihon Keizai Shinbun, the Tokyo Fire Department said the woman was eventually transported to a medical facility within the same city, but was in a state of cardiac arrest.

She was later reported to have passed away.

You can see the moment when she fell here (Warning: Distressing footage):

The unfortunate incident was reported widely on local TV, with many Japanese expressing their shock that such an accident could have happened.

Tokyo Fire Department apologised

The Tokyo Fire Department has since apologised for the failure in ensuring the woman's safety, admitting that the accident occurred as the woman was not properly hooked up, Abema News reported.

The two members of the rescue team involved in the airlift were reported to be both 32 years old, and became members of the special rescue team about 12 to 13 years ago.

According to Kyodo News, Typhoon Hagibis has left 26 dead so far, and 21 missing.

Some areas, which received three times the annual rainfall in just a couple of hours, were flooded.

Top image adapted via ANN News & Jackson/YouTube