Astún reopens after chairlift accident that left 30 people injured

Astún has reopened its doors this Sunday as normal after the accident that took place this Saturday in which the chairlift that went up to the Canal Roya valley fell off. The station issued a statement yesterday in which they assured that the station would open this Sunday at its normal time and, in fact, they have published the snow report and all the information regarding the slopes on their social networks, as usual.

In addition to the 30 open slopes in Astún, there are nine operational lifts in total. As detailed in the report, there are six that remain closed, including, obviously, the Canal Roya four-seater chairlift that collapsed yesterday. The Sarrios, Manantiales and two Slalom ski lifts also remain closed today.

GREAT SHOCK

At around 11.30 this Saturday, the chairlift that went up to the Canal Roya valley fell from a height of 15 metres, leaving 30 people injured and causing great commotion on the Aragonese ski slope. Among the injured, two 18-year-old girls are in a serious condition and remain in the ICUs of the Miguel Servet Hospital and the Clínico Hospital, both in Zaragoza.

The cause of the accident was related to the cable of the infrastructure that was transporting the skiers, and, as the images showed, one of the gear wheels had directly derailed. Both the president of the Government of Aragon , Jorge Azcón, and the station’s own managers, assured that the chairlift complied with all permits and inspections. Likewise, Azcón confirmed that the specific causes of the chairlift’s accident will have to be studied. “The technical reports will explain what happened so that there is no speculation.”