Ski lift collapse in northern Spain injures at least 30 people
Jan 19, 2025
Madrid [Spain], January 19: At least 30 people are reported to have been injured after a ski lift collapsed in northern Spain.
The Astún resort in the Spanish Pyrenees, where the incident happened, was closed as rescue services attended the scene.
Images and video circulating on social media showed a number of people lying on the snow beneath the ski lift.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was "shocked" by the news of the incident.
Seventeen people needed medical attention, according to local media reports. Ambulances and helicopters took some of the injured to nearby hospitals. Dozens of people left hanging on the 15m (50ft) high chairlift have since been rescued, according to a regional official cited in local media.
A witness told the state broadcaster TVE that it looked like a cable had come off, the chairs had bounced and people were thrown from the lift.
An eyewitness who was on the lift told the BBC he saw a cable "lose tension" before the chairs on his side of the structure fell. "It was very scary, but very fast," Jamie Pelegri said - adding that ambulances and helicopters arrived at the scene within about 15 minutes.
Source: Qatar Tribune
