A tragic snowmobile accident in Japan’s popular Hakuba Valley has claimed the life of eight-year-old Australian tourist Chloe Jeffries from Queensland’s Gold Coast. The incident occurred on Saturday when the vehicle overturned during a guided tour, trapping the young girl beneath it despite her mother’s presence as a tandem passenger.
According to tour operator Hakuba Lion Adventure, the accident transpired near an uphill curve along a forest road where the lead snowmobile veered off course and mounted an embankment before flipping back onto the trail. Despite immediate medical attention and aerial evacuation to a nearby hospital, Jeffries succumbed to her injuries.
The young netball enthusiast has been memorialized by her community for her ‘beautiful nature’ and ‘infectious, cheeky smile.’ Meanwhile, the tour company has suspended all snowmobile and snowshoe operations indefinitely pending comprehensive safety reviews and ongoing police investigations.
This devastating event marks the fourth Australian fatality at Japanese ski resorts within the first three months of the year. The series of tragedies began in January with the death of Australian-Indonesian teenager Rylan Henry Pribadi from asphyxiation following a boundary collision at Niseko Ski Resort in Hokkaido.
Last month witnessed two additional casualties: 27-year-old Melbourne man Michael ‘Micky’ Hurst collapsed suddenly while skiing between Hokkaido resorts, and 22-year-old Brooke Day suffered a fatal heart attack after her backpack became entangled in a chairlift at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Nagano prefecture.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed providing consular support to the Jeffries family during this devastating time. The consecutive incidents have raised significant concerns about safety protocols at Japanese winter sports destinations, which annually attract thousands of Australian visitors.