Three people were airlifted to two hospitals late yesterday (Saturday, 19 August) when they fell from a chairlift at the Thredbo ski resort in what was described as a “freak gust of wind”.
Two women in their 20s were taken to Canberra Hospital with back injuries while a man, also in his 20s, was flown to Cooma Hospital with facial injuries.
It is understood the three, all snowboarders, were injured when one of the chairs detached from the ski lift about 2:20 pm when struck by the rogue wind gust.
A wind gust of 65 km/h was recorded by the Bureau of Meteorology shortly before the incident near the chairlift at the top station.
“There were no major injuries caused, no other guests or chairs were affected,” Thredbo Resort said in a statement.
“Thredbo is committed to the safety of our guests and our people.”
The incident is being investigated by SafeWork NSW and an independent engineer.