Witnesses at the Spanish skiing resort reported seeing people being flung through the air as chairlifts collapsed leaving 10 people injured, with at least two being said to be in a critical condition
An 11-year-old schoolgirl has been revealed to be among the 10 people injured after a ski lift in the Spanish Pyrenees collapsed and sent them flying dozens of feet from their chairs.
The collapse at the Astun Ski Resort in north-eastern Spain on Saturday saw emergency services rushing to save those who were trapped. Authorities said two women, both 18, were in a critical condition and had been taken to an ICU.
One of the women was seen being airlifted to a nearby hospital and is believed to have suffered the most serious injuries. The 11-year-old girl was also taken to hospital along with a 67-year-old woman, but both are believed to have minor injuries.
A police investigation has been launched to learn more about the circumstances around the collapse. Aragon county’s government head of emergencies Migeul Angel Clavero said the collapse was triggered by the failure of one of the chairlifts to return that in turn led to a loss of tension and other chairlifts falling as well as 80 skiers being stranded.
The Daily Mail reported one survivor, who gave his name as Oscar, told a Spanish TV station: “A pulley wheel appears to have broken or come loose and the cable started to jump around and every time it happened we went up and down. We were lucky in that we didn’t hit the ground but there were people in front of us who did hit the ground and received blows to their faces and other parts of their body.”
Another witness who saw the collapse said people were thrown through the air as the chairlifts rattled up and down with several being left hanging upside down. Others were flung off completely.
María Moreno told TVE: “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 were hurt, but there were people who fell out of the chairs.”
He continued: “The truth is that we were very scared. Another witness, who was not named, told the network: “It’s like a cable came loose and suddenly all the chairs started to bounce and people went flying.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez took to X/Twitter following the collapse: “Shocked by the news of the accident at Astun ski resort. I have spoken to Aragon president Jorge Azcon to offer him the government’s full support.”
Mr Azcón said on X: “All the necessary services of the DGA are working to assist the affected and injured people.”