Why did the routine inspection not detect the travelator fault?

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Routine Inspection Did Not Detect Travelator Fault Due to Unspecified Reasons

A five-year-old boy tragically died after his arm became trapped in a travelator at the Asarigawa Onsen Ski Resort in Otaru, Hokkaido. While the travelator's emergency stop function had operated correctly during a routine inspection earlier on the same day, it failed to activate automatically when the accident occurred. The precise reasons why the inspection did not identify the subsequent fault remain under investigation by police and relevant authorities, who are also assessing the overall adequacy of safety measures at the resort.
Emergency Function Failure During Incident

The incident involved a moving walkway connecting the parking area to the ski slope at the Asarigawa Onsen Ski Resort. During the accident, the travelator's emergency stop function, intended to halt the mechanism automatically when a foreign object is caught, did not engage. It was reportedly the boy's mother who had to manually press the stop button after her son's right arm became trapped.
Prior Inspection Indicates Operational Status

Resort officials confirmed that the emergency function had been tested and found to be working properly earlier on the day of the accident as part of a routine inspection. This prior functionality suggests that the fault that led to the fatal entrapment may have developed or manifested after the inspection was completed, or that the nature of the fault was not detectable by the inspection's parameters.
Ongoing Investigation into Accident Cause

Following the tragic event, local police and other authorities have commenced an examination into the exact cause of the travelator malfunction. This investigation will also scrutinise whether the existing safety measures in place at the ski resort were sufficient to prevent such a severe accident. The findings are expected to shed light on the circumstances leading to the failure of the emergency stop system.

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Why did the routine inspection not detect the travelator fault?

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