Woman, 22, thought to have suffered a cardiac arrest after being dragged along the snow and suspended mid-air

An Australian woman has died after a ski lift accident in a Japanese resort after her backpack got caught and she was left hanging mid-air.

The 22-year-old snowboarder sustained critical injuries at the Tsugaike ski resort in Otari near Nagano on Friday.

Japanese news agency Kyodo said police had identified her as Ella Day Brooke, however Australian media reported receiving clarification that her name was Brooke Day.

An unfastened waist belt buckle on her backpack became hooked on the lift chair while a chest strap was still securely fastened, causing her to be dragged along the snow and suspended in mid-air, the resort said.

The lift was stopped by an attendant who pressed an emergency button and the snowboarder was rushed to hospital after suffering what appeared to be a cardiac arrest.

The Tsugaike Mountain resort and Tsugaike Gondola Lift Co jointly apologised for the accident and said an investigation would be launched into the fatal incident.

The company’s chief executive also expressed deep condolences to the woman’s family and promised to do the utmost to help them.

In a statement, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was “providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Japan”.

“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” the spokesperson said.