At least eight people were injured when a malfunctioning ski lift hurled people from their seats in the Georgian ski resort of Gaudari on Friday, local media reported.

Video shot by people next to the lift, posted on social media, showed skiers jumping or falling from the carriages, as horrified onlookers shouted in panic.

The lift appeared to be moving backwards and dangerously fast, leading to a pile-up of broken and twisted chairs at the lift’s lowest point.

No one was seriously injured.

Yuri Leontyev, from Belarus, was on the ski lift with two friends when the incident occurred.

“The ski lift stopped and started going in reverse,” the 32-year-old told CNN. 

“We had to jump from it, because at the bottom (of the hill) it was total trash and no chance to stay safe.”

Georgia Today reported that the lift was travelling at double the normal speed and left skiiers “shaken and shocked”. 

The Mountain Resorts Development Company of the Ministry of Economy of Georgia has reportedly contacted ski lift manufacturer, the Doppelmayr Garaventa group, to investigate the cause of the incident.