As of: January 18, 2025 9:06 p.m
At least 30 people have been injured in a chairlift accident in Spain. Apparently the pulley at the mountain station had come loose from its anchorage – the cable of the lift lost tension.
Several people were injured in a chairlift accident in Spain. The local emergency service reported on platform X that 30 people were affected, ten of whom were transferred to hospitals. Two of them are seriously injured. The accident occurred on a chairlift in the Astún ski resort in the Pyrenees, not far from the border with France.
According to the government of the Aragon region, the exact cause of the accident is still being investigated. Spanish media report that the pulley at the top station of the chairlift came loose around 12 p.m., causing the cable to lose tension. In pictures published by the Spanish police, among others, it can be seen that the pulley is completely torn from its anchorage.
An aerial photo shows the damaged pulley of the ski lift in the Spanish Pyrenees.
-Hour-long rescue operation
“Suddenly we heard a noise and then our chair fell on the floor,” skier María Moreno told TVE. “We bounced up and down about five times and had a lot of back pain or hurt ourselves, but there were also people who fell out of the chairs.” A young man said on TVE: “It was as if the cable had come loose and suddenly all the chairs started rocking and people were flying around.”
Many people were still stuck at dizzy heights hours after the accident. They were gradually rappelled down or rescued by helicopter. According to a report by the TV station RTVE, dozens of ambulances and five helicopters were on site.
Prime Minister Sánchez expresses his condolences
Regional President Jorge Azcón said on the online service X that he was on the way to the scene of the accident. Everything is being done to care for the injured. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was also shocked by the accident and expressed his condolences to the injured and their families. Accidents with cable cars are rare and are considered very safe means of transport.
