“We’re speaking about round 30 to 35 people injured, together with critical, very critical and fewer critical accidents,” Miguel Ángel Clavero, the director of emergencies for the Aragon area, the place the incident occurred, advised public tv TVE, in line with AFP.
“Apparently, there was a failure within the return pulley of one of many chairlifts and this induced the cable to lose rigidity, inflicting some chairs to fall and others to stay hanging,” he mentioned.
Pictures on social media purport to indicate one of many chairlift’s flywheels off its spoke.
The reason for the cable failure is presently unknown.
An eyewitness, Jamie Pelegri, mentioned on social media that it was the Canal Roya chairlift was the one which had collapsed.
“Fortunately we’re wonderful however there are injured people, now we have seen a number of stretchers coming down,” the Spotify business director mentioned.
Video posted by Spain’s Guardia Civil reveals a helicopter flying previous the scene earlier than touchdown to permit emergency staff to disembark.
Regional president Jorge Azcón and Spain’s Minister of the Inside Roberto Bermúdez de Castro are on their technique to the ski resort to grasp the extent of the accident.
Azcón wrote on X: “All the mandatory companies of the [government] are working to help the affected and injured people.”
The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, mentioned he had spoken with Azcón “to supply him the “full help” of the federal government.