Carrabassett Valley , Maine ( CNN ) -- Several ski-lift riders fell to the ground and others were trapped in the air Tuesday when a lift a broke down at Sugarloaf Ski Resort in Maine . Before the accident , high winds had delayed the opening of the lift . Conditions at the time of the accident were windy , but not unusually so following a major snowstorm , a spokesman for the resort said . More than 200 people were trapped up to 90 minutes and as many as nine were injured , officials said . Ethan Austin , a spokesman for the resort , said the derailment on one tower of the Spillway East lift happened around 10:30 a.m . ET , when lift 's cable skipped over the edge of a pulley . Five of the lift 's chairs fell 25 to 30 feet and hit the ground , he said . `` The chairs were pretty mangled , but the ski patrol was there right away , '' patron Ben Martin told CNN affiliate WCSH . Winds had diminished by midmorning and resort personnel checked the lift prior to opening , Sugarloaf said in a statement . Austin said conditions were basically what is expected after a major storm . The rescue operation was completed around noon . The lift will remain closed until the preliminary investigation is completed and it is cleared by the state to resume operation , the resort said . Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington , Maine , was treating eight patients , according to spokeswoman Jill Gray . She could not provide the nature of the injuries or the conditions of the patients . A ninth person originally was taken by ambulance to Franklin Memorial , but that person had to be taken by helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland , Gray said . Sugarloaf said seven people were injured . Robb Atkinson , a CNN employee who initially was trapped on the lift , said he saw skiers fall from the lift when it came to an abrupt stop during high winds . `` I felt a jerk , '' said Atkinson , who was riding the lift with his wife . He also described hearing `` screams from skiers below '' as he watched at least three chairs drop 20 to 30 feet to the ground . Matt Rolfson , 17 , of Albion , Maine , was on a parallel lift with a friend and shot video from his helmet cam of injured skiers . `` People on the lift yelled to see if everyone was OK , '' said Rolfson , adding a portion of the Spillway East line did a `` yo-yo . '' He told CNN his lift was unaffected and he skied down later to offer assistance . High winds were gusting between 30 mph and 50 mph in the area at the time , according to CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras , and temperatures at the resort were well below freezing . Austin said Tuesday afternoon there were an estimated 220 people on the more than 100 chairs on the lift , and the process of evacuating everyone from the chairs dangling above the resort was under way . `` You had to slide off the chair lift 40 feet off the ground into a swing , '' Atkinson said . After that , skiers were lowered down to the ground and had to ski to the base of the mountain , he said . Franklin County Emergency officials contacted Gov . John Baldacci with updates on the incident and subsequent rescues , according to David Farmer , Baldacci 's deputy chief of staff . `` It 's extremely unusual , '' Austin said . Sugarloaf has never had a lift derailment of this nature in its 60-year history , he added . The cause of the accident was under investigation . `` We 're deeply concerned about those who were injured , '' said Austin , `` and we 're committed to understanding the cause of this incident . We want our guests to have fun , but our first priority is their safety . '' Two inspectors with the Maine Safety Board were sent to Sugarloaf to investigate , said Farmer . The probe is `` protocol for any accident where the state government oversees certification of a ski resort , '' he added . The resort is located about 100 miles north of Portland , Maine . Atkinson and Rolfson said patrons were excited about up to two feet of new snow on the slopes . Both will be back at Sugarloaf on Wednesday . CNN 's Alta Spells , Justin Lear and Phil Gast contributed to this report .
The lift will remain closed pending completion of investigation . The ski resort reported an estimated 220 people were trapped on the broken lift . A CNN employee was among those trapped . Winds were gusting between 30 and 40 mph in the area .