A skier caught on a chair lift in winds gusting to 50 miles an hour grabbed his cell phone and called CNN. Robb Atkinson’s call has been carried live on the network, telling viewers people were heading up the mountain at the Sugarloaf resort when the lift fell “20 or 30 feet” and then stopped moving. More than 100 skiers have been stuck ever since 10 a.m.

According to the CNN coverage, there are reports of injuries but the extent of the injuries and number of people hurt is not clear. The witness did indicate seeing skiers “fall to the ground” from a height of about thirty feet and Atkinson has seen at least five injured skiers carried down the mountain by members of the ski patrol.

The ski patrol at Sugarloaf is working a rescue, and at the urging of CNN anchor Tony Harris, Atkinson, who works for CNN, has promised to record the rescue effort on his cell phone camera.

A spokesman for Sugarloaf tells CNN the lift had “a derailment” and the rescue effort will take one to two hours.

Watch it here, from CNN:

Source: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/breaking-cnn-talks-live-to-skier-trapped-on-chair-lift-in-maine/