Every winter, the Sapporo Snow Festival amazes visitors with snow sculptures. This year, a "Snow Miku" of virtual idol Hatsune Miku was erected. Today, it was destroyed after injuring a senior citizen.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, a 61 year-old woman from Tochigi Prefecture was sightseeing, visiting the festival, when the 3-meter (nearly 10-foot) statue started to crumble. Her 80 year-old male companion noticed that the statue was started to fall apart, and pulled her by the arm. The statue toppled over and mounds of snow hit her lower back.
The woman sustained minor injuries.
The statue's design apparently was unbalanced and top heavy. Changes in temperatures are believed to be responsible for the accident. The statues are checked every hour, but apparently, this statue was not viewed as a risk until it was too late.
The Snow Festival destroyed the statue earlier today.
「初音ミク」像が倒壊…雪まつり、女性けが [Yomiuri Online]
(Top photo: STV News)