Breaking news out of Tyrol in Western Austria where a gondola accident at Hochoetz Ski Resort has left four people seriously injured. The BBC reports the gondola fell about 23 feet after a tree is believed to have fallen on to its support cable this morning.
The rescue operation has proved difficult due to the steep terrain at the crash site. Austrian reports said the four involved in the incident were most likely Danish citizens.
Police said nothing appeared to be technically at fault with the cable car route, called the Acherkogelbahn, and there was no evidence of any human error.
“The gondola crashed in a very stony area, although the rescue chain functioned very well. The rescuers were on site immediately but the terrain made it very difficult and the helicopters couldn’t get there very easily.” -Michaela Burger
The circumstance behind how a tree could have fallen on to the support cable is unclear. District police commandant Hubert Juen said that either a tree or branches landed directly on the mount to which the gondola was attached.
Dozens of other gondolas were attached to the support cable at the time of the accident but thankfully none were affected by the crash.
