A working holiday in Japan turned tragic for a 22-year-old Australian woman who died after a freak chairlift accident at the Tsugaike Mountain ski resort in Otari.
Brooke Day, a snowboarder from Queensland, was trying to get off the lift when her backpack became tangled in a buckle. Her chest strap was still clipped in, causing her to be dragged across the snow before staff were able to hit the emergency stop button.
Rescuers rushed Brooke to the hospital after she reportedly went into cardiac arrest, but she was pronounced dead shortly after. She had been working as a receptionist at a local physio clinic and described herself as a people-person who loved getting to know guests and making them feel welcome.
Japanese outlets initially misidentified her as Ella Day Brooke, a mistake later corrected. Both the Tsugaike Mountain resort and the Tsugaike Gondola Lift Co issued apologies and confirmed an investigation is underway. The company’s CEO also extended condolences to Brooke’s family, promising full support.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is providing consular assistance while offering its own message of sympathy.
The heartbreaking incident comes amid a troubling streak of chairlift accidents worldwide. A German tourist died last year at Montenegro’s Savin Kuk resort after a chair slid 230 feet backward and smashed into another, leaving his wife trapped for hours. And in early 2025, a catastrophic pulley failure at Spain’s Astún ski resort left two women in intensive care and dozens injured as chairs plunged from nearly 50 feet.
Brooke’s death has renewed calls for safety reviews across ski destinations as investigations into the accident begin.
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