Serious Ski Lift Accident At Spanish Ski Resort

Today, a ski lift accident at the Astún ski resort in the Spanish Pyrenees resulted in injuries to multiple people. The incident occurred on a chairlift when a cable malfunctioned, causing the chairlift to collapse.  Video  appears to indicate that the cable was no longer wrapped around the top bullwheel

In a statment the resort said "Around 11:30 a.m. this morning there was an accident on the Canal Roya ski resort of Astún. The accident has left about fifteen injured, three of them in high regard who have been taken to hospital facilities. We wish them all a speedy and favorable recovery. The causes of the accident are unknown which are currently being investigated. The facility comes with all permits and inspections. The protocols for rescue and transfer of wounded have worked properly, evacuating all the uphill users within two and a half hours. We want to thank the cooperation received from all the media deployed to address this situation, as well as the support of all institutions. Shortly after the accident, the station has closed its facilities to expedite rescue and evacuation work. Tomorrow the station will open its doors to the public at its usual schedule."

"We are talking about around 30 to 35 people injured, including serious, very serious and less serious injuries," Miguel Ángel Clavero, the director of emergencies for the Aragon region, where the incident occurred, told public television TVE. "Apparently, there was a failure in the return pulley of one of the chairlifts and this caused the cable to lose tension, causing some chairs to fall and others to remain hanging," Clavero said.

"Suddenly we heard a sound and we fell straight to the ground, inside the chair. We bounced up and down about five times and our backs were quite sore or we were hurt, but there were people who fell out of the chairs," María Moreno told public television TVE. "The truth is that we were very scared," said Moreno,

Fernando Beltrán, a representative of Spain’s government in Aragon, later posted on X that “all the skiers affected by the accident” have been evacuated and those who were injured were receiving medical treatment.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was “shocked” by the news of the accident, expressing his closeness to the injured and their families.

The ski resort said on X that it was “working with emergency services” and that its management expressed “consternation and support for those affected” by the incident.

Emergency responders, including helicopters and ambulances, were swiftly dispatched to the scene. The injured are being transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.

The ski resort has been temporarily closed as a result of the incident.