Ten people, including two women, were injured and are in intensive care after a chairlift accident at a ski resort in Spain.
The Astún resort in Spain’s Pyrenees, where the incident occurred, was closed as rescue teams attended the scene.
It appears that a pulley failure caused the cable to come loose, causing the chair to fall to the ground and the skier to be thrown into the snow.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was “shocked” by news of the incident.
Initial reports said 30 people were injured, but local media later said 17 people needed medical treatment.
Ambulances and helicopters transported some of the injured to hospitals. Two women, both 18 years old, are in intensive care, El Pais newspaper reported.
A pulley at one end of the chairlift came loose, causing part of the structure supporting it to collapse, causing the cable to lose tension and causing several seats to fall, state broadcaster TVE said.
Dozens of people left dangling from the 15-meter (50-foot) high chairlift were helped off.
Jaime Pellegri, who was riding in the elevator, told the BBC that the cable lost tension before the chair on the side of the building fell.
“It was very scary, but it was very fast,” he said, adding that an ambulance and helicopter were on the scene within 15 minutes.
In a previous post on X, he said, “Fortunately we are okay, but there are some injured. I saw many stretchers coming down.”
Images on social media appear to show one of the chairlift’s flywheels detached from its support. The cause of the incident is not yet known.
Regional President Jorge Azcon and Spain’s Interior Minister Roberto Bermudez de Castro were on the scene.
“All necessary (government) services are working to assist those affected and injured,” Azcon wrote to X.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he had spoken with Ascon to offer the government’s “full support.”
A telephone line has been set up for victims’ families.
Popular with Spanish skiers, the Astún resort is located in the Aragon region of the Pyrenees near the French border.
