A five-year-old boy, Hinata Goto, died after his arm got trapped in a moving travelator at a ski resort in northern Japan. The incident happened on Sunday at the Asari ski resort in Otaru city, Hokkaido. The boy fell while trying to get off the 30-meter-long travelator, which connects the car park to a ski slope. Hinata was wearing ski gear and boots at the time. Firefighters freed the unconscious boy about 40 minutes after an emergency call from his mother. He was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead soon after. The travelator, installed six years ago, is only 60 cm wide and has no handrails. It is designed to help skiers move uphill comfortably. However, questions have arisen about its safety. Officials said the safety mechanism failed after the boy’s mother pressed the emergency stop button. The mechanism usually stops the belt if something gets stuck and had worked earlier that day during inspection. No staff was near the travelator when the accident happened. A resort representative apologized for the tragedy. Police have started an investigation that may lead to charges of professional negligence causing death. A regular visitor said the travelator was “scary” and mentioned that it shakes because of slope angles. A local also expressed hope for a proper investigation and better safety measures as many children learn skiing there.