The event happened at the Astún resort in the Spanish Pyrenees. The resort was shut as rescue services attended the scene but, according to reports, has since reopened.
A pulley failure is thought to have slackened a cable, meaning some chairs fell to the ground and skiers were thrown into the snow beneath, according to the state broadcaster TVE.
Dozens of people were left hanging on the 15-metre-high (50-foot) chairlift, before being helped down.
According to local emergency services who assessed those involved, 10 people were taken to hospital, and 20 others were discharged “on the spot”. The resort later said that 15 people were injured, three of them seriously, requiring hospitalisation. In a statement on Saturday, the resort said: “The causes of the accident are unknown and are currently being investigated. The facility has all the permits and inspections. The protocols for rescue and transfer of wounded have worked properly, evacuating all users of the lift within two and a half hours.”
The two young women who suffered most from the fall were airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Zaragoza, Spanish state media reported. One is said to be stable while the other is showing signs of improvement but remains under observation.
The popular resort is in the Aragon region of the Pyrenees mountains, close to the French border.
The team at ITIJ asked experts: are the risks of winter sports activities being fairly priced by the underwriters?