MADRID (Reuters) – A ski lift collapsed at a resort in the Spanish region of Aragon on Saturday, injuring dozens of people, nine of them in very serious condition and eight in serious condition, the government of the Spanish region of Aragon said.
About 80 people remain trapped, hanging in the chairlift at the Aston ski resort, in Huesca province, according to state broadcaster TVE.
One witness told TVE: “It was as if the cable had been cut, chairs were bouncing and people were being thrown off the floor.”
The cause of the cable failure is still unknown.
The ski resort administration declined to comment and was not immediately able to determine whether there were foreigners among the injured.
Several helicopters were operating in the area to rescue skiers who were still trapped on the chairlift and transport the injured to nearby hospitals.
The Aston Ski Resort, very popular among Spanish skiers, is located near the Spanish border with France, in the Pyrenees mountain range.