Ski lift accident in Spain leaves at least 30 injured
Chairlift malfunction at Spanish ski resort leaves several injured
Several people were injured in a chairlift incident at the Astun ski resort in Spain on Saturday, January 18, according to local media. (Credit: Guardia Civil via Storyful)
A ski lift accident at the Spanish resort of Astún, in the Pyrenees mountain range, has left at least 30 people injured, according to emergency services for Spain's northern Aragon region said Saturday.
Regional emergency services said that 10 people needed to be treated in hospitals, including two who were seriously injured.
Several helicopters were deployed to the area to rescue those trapped and transfer the injured to nearby hospitals.
Social media images and video appeared to show a number of people lying on the snow beneath the ski lift.
What we don't know:
The cause of the incident is unknown.
Several people at the Astun ski resort on January 18, 2025, in Jaca, Huesca, Aragon, Spain. (Photo By Veronica Lacasa/Europa Press via Getty Images)
What they're saying:
State TV channel TVE reported that around 80 people were trapped on the chairlifts in the immediate aftermath.
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.
Several injured in chairlift accident at Spanish ski resort
Several people were injured after they fell from a chairlift at the Spanish ski resort of Astun on Saturday, January 18, local media reported. (Credit: Jaime Pelegri via Storyful)
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 other side:
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.
Local perspective:
"It’s like a cable has come off, the chairs have bounced and people have been thrown off," one witness told TVE.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. Additional information came from various sources, including statements from emergency services in Spain's northern Aragon region, reports by state TV channel TVE, a witness account shared with TVE, and a social media post by Fernando Beltrán, a representative of Spain’s government in Aragon. This story was reported from Los Angeles.