An employee conducting routine maintenance at a Tokyo theme park reportedly died after becoming trapped for an extended period inside the mechanism of an attraction ride.
The incident occurred at Tokyo Dome City Attractions on the “Flying Balloon” ride on Tuesday, the company said.
“During routine maintenance work on the ride, one of our employees became trapped within the ride’s gondola mechanism,” the company said. “Following rescue operations, the employee was transported to a hospital, where their death was subsequently confirmed.”
According to local media outlet NHK World Japan, the worker was identified by police as 24-year-old Kamimura Hina. It took roughly five hours for personnel to free her, but she was ultimately pronounced dead at a hospital.
“Flying Balloon” is reportedly a 12-seat ride where passengers sit in a circle around a central pillar. The seats rotate and rise along the structure to a height of roughly 30 feet.
During the operator’s monthly inspection, the seats were elevated, allowing Kamimura and five colleagues to access and inspect the ride’s mechanisms, according to the outlet.
The victim is believed to have been working on a stepladder when the raised seats suddenly fell, trapping her against the central pillar.
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“We offer our deepest prayers for the repose of the deceased employee’s soul, and we extend our profound condolences and apologies to their bereaved family,” the companay said. “We also wish to offer our sincere apologies once again to all customers and stakeholders who have been inconvenienced and caused anxiety as a result of this accident.
The corporation said it is conducting a full-scale investigation into the cause of the accident in coordination with relevant authorities, including police and the fire department.
Operations at all the attractions of the amusement park were immediately suspended until further notice, “as we dedicate our full efforts to thoroughly investigating the cause of this incident and implementing measures to prevent its recurrence,” they added.
