A tragic accident occurred at the popular Engelberg ski resort in central Switzerland, resulting in the death of a 61-year-old woman. On Wednesday, a gondola cabin, certified to carry eight people, detached from its cable on a snowy mountain slope, crashed, slid down, and rolled over several times before coming to a halt against a bush. At the time of the incident, the gondola was carrying only the deceased woman, raising serious concerns about the reliability of safety systems at the resort, despite their certification.
Rescue operations were conducted at an altitude of approximately 2,000 meters in challenging alpine conditions, complicating access for emergency responders and necessitating the deployment of a helicopter. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, but the exact circumstances remain unclear. A police spokesperson stated in the early evening, "The circumstances that led to the accident are still unclear at this time," indicating that the investigation is ongoing and final conclusions are pending.
Between 100 and 200 people were traveling in other gondolas on the cable car route at the time of the accident, and they were evacuated by the afternoon. Norbert Patt, CEO of the cable car company Titlis Bergbahnen, confirmed that passengers were evacuated by then. The ski resort's website reported that some gondolas were closed due to "strong winds," suggesting potential weather-related risks that may have contributed to the incident.
According to the weather service MeteoSchweiz, Engelberg experienced sunny conditions with temperatures around 8 degrees Celsius at noon, but a wind warning was in effect with gusts of up to 130 km/h at exposed locations above 1,800 meters. Video footage of the incident, captured by an onlooker and provided to the Swiss newspaper Blick, has helped shed light on the details. The investigation's findings could be crucial for preventing similar disasters in the future, amid growing concerns about infrastructure safety at ski resorts.
Source: www.dw.com