Five people were injured at a ski resort in Lake Tahoe after a chairlift malfunctioned and sent them plummeting 30 feet to the ground below.
The incident occurred at around 10 a.m. on Monday at the Heavenly Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe, California.
NBC Bay Area reported that two chairs on the resort’s Comet Express lift collided after one slid backwards, causing some skiers to fall about 30 feet to the snow below.
A photo showed the two chairs that crashed, while others showed emergency responders gathered below the chairlift.
The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District said three ambulances were called and five people were taken to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno.
A spokesperson for Heavenly Ski Resort issued a statement shortly after 3 p.m. local time on Monday.
"Heavenly Mountain Resort can confirm an incident occurred on its Comet Express chairlift today, Monday, December 23, 2024,” the statement read. “The safety of our guests is our top priority and the resort is investigating the incident."
The Comet Express is a high-speed detachable chairlift that can carry four people per chair and move 2,800 people per hour. The lift was shut down for the rest of the day following the incident.
In January, a woman spent 15 hours overnight on a gondola in freezing temperatures at the Heavenly Mountain resort, but was ultimately unharmed.
