Overview
- Emergency services received a call around 10 a.m. JST from the boy’s mother at Asarigawa Onsen Ski Resort in Otaru.
- The victim was identified as Hinata Goto, 5, who fell near the exit and had his right arm pulled into the belt’s folding return section.
- Firefighters extricated him about 40–45 minutes after the call; he was unresponsive without breathing during transport and was later confirmed dead at a hospital.
- Authorities describe the equipment as a step-less belt‑conveyor escalator linking the parking area to the slopes, and news reports say it lacked a handrail.
- Otaru police are investigating the presence of safety devices and whether attendants were on duty, as coverage also notes past fatal escalator incidents across Japan.