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A chairlift collapsed at a resort, leaving at least eight people injured
CCTV footage shared online shows a cable suddenly falling to the ground, with chairs plummeting into a lake below
One of the more severely injured individuals sustained a spinal cord injury
A chairlift collapsed at a resort, leaving at least eight people injured.
The incident took place on Friday, Aug. 8, in a resort area of Nalchik in Russia’s Kabardino-Balkaria region, according to the Russian News Agency TASS.
CCTV footage, shared on TikTok by Metro.uk, shows resortgoers traveling in individual chairs, before a cable suddenly falls to the ground.
Several chairs can then be seen plummeting into a lake below, and one passenger, who almost made it to the top, was captured holding onto his chair as he hovered a few feet from the ground.
Initial reports from TASS indicated that six people were injured and five were hospitalized with “light or moderate injuries.” In a later update, Russia’s regional Health Ministry told TASS that “two more injured individuals” were “taken to the regional clinical hospital.”
Officials added that the injuries sustained by some of the people involved in the incident turned out to be more serious than originally reported.
According to TASS’ updated report, a CT scan revealed that one of the injured had sustained a spinal cord injury.
Two of the previously reported victims were released after a medical evaluation, and the Health Ministry added that one person was taken to the hospital “in serious condition” and is being treated in the intensive care unit.
The Health Ministry said in a statement to TASS that they were alerted to the chairlift collapse at around 5:45 p.m. local time.
“Russia’s Emergencies Ministry’s rescuers and all the emergency services were immediately dispatched to the site,” the organization said.
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A spokesperson for the Russian Emergencies Ministry told TASS that 21 people had been on the chairlift when it collapsed. The remaining individuals were evacuated, and a search-and-rescue was launched as a precaution.
TASS reported that emergency services identified the wear and tear of cables as the preliminary cause of the chairlift collapse. They added to the outlet, however, that “during the investigation, all other versions will be considered.”
The Investigative Committee for the Kabardino-Balkaria Region has opened a criminal case into the incident, per TASS.
Read the original article on People
