An employee performing routine maintenance at a Tokyo theme park reportedly died after being trapped in the mechanism of an attraction ride for an extended period of time.
The incident occurred Tuesday at Tokyo Dome City Attractions during the “Flying Balloon” ride, the company said.
“During routine maintenance work on the ride, one of our employees became trapped in the ride’s gondola mechanism,” the company said. “Following rescue operations, the employee was transported to a hospital where death was subsequently confirmed.”
According to According to local media outlet NHK World Japan, the worker was identified by police as 24-year-old Kamimura Hina. It took about five hours for staff to free her, but she was eventually pronounced dead at a hospital.
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A general exterior view of Tokyo Dome next to a theme park on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos)
“Flying Balloon” is reportedly a twelve-seat ride where passengers sit in a circle around a central pillar. The seats rotate and rise along the structure to a height of approximately 30 feet.
During the operator’s monthly inspection, the seats were raised, allowing Kamimura and five colleagues to access and inspect the ride’s mechanisms, the outlet reported.
The victim is said to have been working on a staircase when the elevated chairs suddenly fell, pinning her against the central pillar.
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People walk past the Thunder Dolphin roller coaster (left) and the Big O Ferris wheel (right) at the Tokyo Dome City Attractions entertainment complex in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, March 15, 2020. (Toru Hanai/Bloomberg)
“We offer our deepest prayers for the repose of the soul of the deceased employee, and we extend our deepest condolences and apologies to their relatives,” the company said. “We would also like to reiterate our sincere apologies to all customers and stakeholders who have been inconvenienced and caused distress as a result of this accident.
People walk past the Tokyo Dome City Attractions entertainment complex on Sunday, March 15, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. (Toru Hanai/Bloomberg)
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The company said it is conducting a full-scale investigation into the cause of the accident, in cooperation with relevant authorities, including police and fire brigades.
Operations on all theme park attractions were immediately suspended until further notice, “while we do our utmost to thoroughly investigate the cause of this incident and take measures to prevent its recurrence,” she added.
