Australian snowboarder, 22, dies after her backpack gets caught on ski lift in Japan

A young Australian woman has died after getting stuck in a ski lift at Hakuba, Japan.

22-year-old Brooke Day, who hails from Queensland, was snowboarding at the Tsugaike Mountain Resort on Jan. 30.

According to news.com.au, Day's backpack buckle got entangled with the ski lift as she tried to disembark.

The backpack's chest strap was still fastened, and she became trapped, linked to the lift.

The lift continued to move, and she was reportedly dragged along and then suspended.

Although the lift operator was able to press the emergency stop button, and Day was freed by rescuers, she suffered a cardiac arrest.

She was conveyed to the hospital, where she later died.

Day had been working as a receptionist at a physiotherapy clinic in Hakuba.

Investigations

The president of Tsugaike Gondola Lift, Tsuneo Kubo, said in a statement that the company is cooperating with investigators and looking at improving the safety of the lift, reported The Japan Times.

“We will handle matters with the utmost sincerity for our deceased guest and her bereaved family members,” Kubo said.

He added that the lift will resume operations once investigations have concluded and measures to prevent such incidents implemented, ABC News wrote.

Top photo from Brooke Day Instagram and Jerry Kwok/Google Maps