A Tokyo theme park employee has tragically died after becoming trapped in the mechanism of an attraction for a lengthy period during maintenance work.
This incident took place on Tuesday at the Flying Balloon ride at Tokyo Dome City Attractions.
“While conducting routine maintenance, one of our team members got stuck inside the gondola mechanism,” the company stated. “Despite rescue efforts, the employee was later pronounced dead at the hospital.”
As reported by NHK World Japan, the worker has been identified as Hina Uemura, who was only 24 years old. It reportedly took around five hours to free her. Unfortunately, she was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.
The Flying Balloon ride allows up to twelve passengers to sit in a circle around a central column, which rises to roughly 30 feet. The seats rotate and elevate, creating a unique experience.
The company mentioned that during a routine inspection, the seats were raised to enable Uemura and five colleagues to reach the vehicle’s mechanisms. It seems that while working from a stepladder, the raised seat unexpectedly fell and got lodged in the center pillar.
The company expressed its condolences: “We sincerely pray for the souls of our deceased employee and extend our deepest apologies to the bereaved family. We also apologize to our customers and all those affected by this incident.” They noted that they are collaborating with local authorities, including the police and fire department, to investigate the accident thoroughly.
For now, all attractions at the amusement park have been suspended, and the company assures that it is committed to investigating the incident and preventing future occurrences.
