2 weeks ago
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An eight-year-old girl from the Gold Coast has died in a suspected snowmobile accident while on holiday with family overseas.
Japanese media reported Chloe Jeffries was killed shortly before midday on Saturday after a snowmobile she and her mother were riding overturned near the ski resort town of Hakuba, north-west of Tokyo.
Jeffries suffered head wounds and was airlifted to Matsumoto City, in Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, but succumbed to her injuries, local media reported.
Jeffries, who lived with her family on the northern tip of the Gold Coast, was a junior in the South Coast Netball Association at Palm Beach.
The association posted a tribute to the eight-year-old on Tuesday afternoon, remembering her for her “cheeky, infectious smile, and the joy she brought simply by being herself”.
“Chloe had a way of brightening the courts and the people around her,” it said.
“Above all, Chloe was her big sister Hallee’s biggest supporter, always cheering from the sidelines, full of pride, encouragement and love.
“Her unwavering support for Hallee and her connection to our club will forever be remembered.”
The netball association said the loss would be “felt deeply” by its members, and it extended sympathy to Jeffries’ sister and parents.
The eight-year-old is the fourth Australian this year to die while skiing in Japan.
A month earlier, Melbourne man Michael Hurst, 27, died while skiing with friends in the Hokkaido region.
Hurst was separated from his group on February 2 while skiing between the Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort and Niseko Annupuri International Ski Resort.
He was discovered by another ski group, who attempted CPR, but he later died in hospital.
Days later, 22-year-old Sunshine Coast local Brooke Day was killed at the Tsugaike Mountain Resort, also located near Hakuba, where Jeffries was fatally injured.
Day, an advanced snowboarder, became entangled in her avalanche rescue backpack after it was caught in a ski lift while she tried to disembark. She suffered a cardiac arrest and died several days later surrounded by family.
In January, Brisbane Grammar School graduate Rylan Pribadi died on a ski trip in Japan’s northern region, reportedly colliding with a course boundary rope in Niseko.
