Man, 34, Killed After Falling 230 Feet from Ski Lift Next to Wife: Reports

A 34-year-old man from Germany is dead after he plunged about 230 feet from a lift at a ski resort in northern Montenegro over the weekend, according to multiple news outlets.

His wife was with him and was seriously injured as well.

The incident occurred on Sunday, Dec. 21, when two double chairlifts hit each other at the Savin Kuk ski resort close to Žabljak in the Durmitor Mountains, German newspaper Die Frankfurter Rundschau and Montenegrin newspapers Vijesti and Pobjeda reported.

The impact caused a 34-year-old German tourist to fall to his death, according to the outlets. 

One of the cable car baskets had slipped and hit the one in front of it, according to Pobjeda.

The man’s wife, a 30-year-old German woman, was riding in the same basket and was trapped.

She was later rushed to the hospital to be treated for a fracture to her femur and a head injury, the outlet reported. 

Savin Kuk ski resort.

Shutterstock / Omnivore Ltd

Following the initial crash, local authorities ordered the lift to be shut down to allow for a preliminary investigation, according to the reports.

As a result, at least three other tourists remained stuck on the lift for hours. Eventually, everyone was evacuated with the assistance of rescue workers, despite the dangerous weather conditions, Pobjeda reported. 

The cause of the crash is not known; the victims have not been publicly identified.

Rados Zugic, the mayor of Žabljak, and Žabljak’s tourism office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

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“We insist on a comprehensive and transparent investigation to determine who is responsible,” said Zugic, according to Die Frankfurter Rundschau.