A serious accident occurred in the Spanish ski resort of Astun, located in the Pyrenees on the border with France. One of the chairlifts broke downas a result of which approximately 30 people were injured. According to the latest reports from the authorities of the Aragon region eight people are in a serious condition, a nine – very heavy.
A rescue operation is underway on site. About 80 people are still trapped in chairs hanging on the damaged ski lift. – It looks like the rope broke, the chairs started swinging violently and people were falling out of them – said one of the TVE witnesses, quoted by Reuters.
For now it is not known what exactly led to the tragedy. The ski resort's management declined to comment on the matter. The authorities of Aragon sent specialists to the site to investigate the causes of the incident.
Tragedy on the ski slope. Dozens injured
Numerous emergency services were dispatched to the resort. Firefighters, rescuers and medical teams are working on site. They were used to transport the injured four helicopters and ten ambulances. Hospitals in the cities of Jaca, Huesca and Zaragoza have been put on alert. Particular care was taken a woman in a critical conditionwho was transported by helicopter to Miguel Servet Hospital in Zaragoza.
The President of the Government of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, and the Minister of the Interior, Roberto Bermudez de Castro, went to the resort of Astun to assess the scale of the disaster. “All services are operating at full capacityto help those affected,” Azcon wrote on social media.
Spain. Accident on a ski lift
In turn, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his shock at the tragedywriting on the X platform: “I am shocked by the news of this accident. All our support goes to the injured and their families.”
The Astun resort, popular mainly with Spanish skiers, was packed with tourists when the breakdown occurred. For the duration of the investigation and rescue operation the slope was closed. It is not known whether there are foreigners among the injured.
Sources: Reuters, The Mirror, LBC