diff --git a/draftlogs/6267_fix.md b/draftlogs/6267_fix.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..863f4063165
--- /dev/null
+++ b/draftlogs/6267_fix.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+ - Handle missing drag layer of invisible `sankey` traces to fix select error [[#6267](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.js/pull/6267)]
diff --git a/src/traces/sankey/base_plot.js b/src/traces/sankey/base_plot.js
index 65dc467cb85..952b376adb2 100644
--- a/src/traces/sankey/base_plot.js
+++ b/src/traces/sankey/base_plot.js
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ function subplotUpdateFx(gd, index) {
     var dragMode = fullLayout.dragmode;
     var cursor = fullLayout.dragmode === 'pan' ? 'move' : 'crosshair';
     var bgRect = trace._bgRect;
+    if(!bgRect) return;
 
     if(dragMode === 'pan' || dragMode === 'zoom') return;