Watch: Chairlift changes direction, causing chaos at resort
A chairlift at a South Korean ski resort malfunctioned and began going backward at a high speed, forcing riders to jump to safety before the chair crashed into a pileup of chairs at the terminal.
The incident occurred Friday afternoon at Bears Town Ski Resort in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, as reported by the Korea JoongAng Daily.
For more than a minute, the chairlift was out of control with onlookers yelling to those on the ski lift to detach from their gear and jump. Once on the ground, some needed to duck their heads to avoid getting struck from the succeeding chair.
Instagram user bonocoo captured the mayhem.
YonhapNews posted video on YouTube.
And onlooker Kimpurin also posted video.
Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported, though a 7-year-old was taken to a hospital for mild bruises.
After operators managed to stop the chairlift, more than 100 riders were left stranded, some for more than two hours before being rescued, according to Snowbrains.com.
The Pocheon Police is investigating the incident, and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority was said to be checking the condition of all other lifts at the resort.
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“It is still unclear what caused the accident and the resort will cooperate with the police,” a Bears Town Ski Resort official said.
The ski resort also made this statement: “We sincerely apologize to everyone who suffered damages from the lift accident and their families, and we are apologize to everyone who was shocked with the news. We will work with the related authorities to do a safety check and will do our best to make the resort a safe place to ski.”
