Tourists left dangling mid-air as chairlifts blown away by strong winds

The incident occurred at Cervino ski resort as some of the chairlifts were seen flipping 270 degrees due to strong winds that reached up to 100 kph, The Sun newspaper reported.

Footage of the horrifying ordeal circulated online, with one showing at least 12 chairlifts being shaken by strong gusts of wind.

Luckily, all tourists were saved and no-one sustained any major injuries.

There was no suggestion from the lift operator at the station beforehand that it was unsafe, according to Daily Mail Online.

But five minutes into the journey, close to the top, the lifts were deactivated due to strong winds.

Due to the wind, there was a fault in the line, with technicians climbing onto the pylons to check the situation and put the chairlift back into operation, a representative of the resort told The Sun.

The chairlifts are part of a large cross-border ski resort complex that connects slopes in Italy and Switzerland.

Starting on the Italian side, visitors can ride a combination of lifts and ski runs to Zermatt, Switzerland, or vice versa.

A video shows tourists left hanging on chairlifts at an Italian ski resort on March 28, 2024:

This lift in Cervinia (Cretaz) closed just before we got on! Scary! Few people are stuck on lifts and some clearly damaged by huge gusts! #Cervinia @CerviniaValt @Cervinia_ski @BBCNewsPR @BBCNews pic.twitter.com/lKBy1tOsTV

— Mr C Geo and PE (@MrCrabtreePE) March 28, 2024