Footage capturing the accident from multiple angles showed people heard screaming as they fell from a height in Nalchik, Russia, with some hitting the ground below
A tourist chairlift accident left passengers clinging for their lives above a dense forest, with footage capturing the moment people were sent flying over the edge of the contraption.
A video captured the moment the chairlift collapsed in the Russian resort of Nalchik, in the mountainous Kabardino-Balkaria region, sending four people plunging into a lake, and six to the ground. More than a dozen people were left injured, one of whom is reportedly in a serious condition. Passengers could be heard screaming as some landed in trees, while splashes also tore through the video’s audio as others landed in the 22ft-deep Lake Trek.
A separate video taken at the scene shows one tourist crashing to the ground after the cable holding the chairlift together gave way. It comes after reports of a dad’s desperate phone call moments before explosion kills him and his daughters.
READ MORE: Octopus ‘climbs out of aquarium tank’ and ‘tries to eat boy, 6,’ in front of mumREAD MORE: Mum ‘traumatised’ after dog walker pushes her in canal as she cycles to work
Thirteen people were left dangling on chairs and had to be “evacuated” by the emergency services, local media reported, with a major rescue operation launched to take the injured to hospital. Reports added that a child was among those injured in the aftermath, and one person was left in “serious condition”.
A regional health ministry spokesperson said they were taken to an intensive care unit. They said: “One patient is in serious condition in an intensive care unit.”
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said in a statement that emergency services rushed to the scene in the early evening following calls. A spokesperson told the TASS news agency: “At 5.45pm (3.45pm BST) information was received that a chairlift collapsed in the resort area of the Nalchik municipal district.
“Russia’s Emergencies Ministry’s rescuers and all the emergency services were immediately dispatched to the site.” The chairlift, which serves a local scenic viewing point, was several decades old, having originally been built in 1968.
Wear and tear of cables is considered as “the preliminary cause of the accident”, reported Russian media agency TASS, citing emergency services. A criminal case has been opened into the incident. The emergency services source told the agency: “During the investigation, all other versions will be considered.”
The accident comes a day after six Russian tourists were wounded in a traffic crash in the Karaman province of Turkey, with one left in serious condition following the collision en route to a festival in Cappadocia.
Turkish media reported they were injured when their minibus crashed into a car, causing it to lose control and crash into road signs before overturning. The local reports add that eight people were injured in total, including the tourists, one of whom was in serious condition after they were transported to Karaman Training and Research Hospital.