Some sixty people will be stranded overnight in cable cars near Europe’s highest mountain, Mont Blanc, when a ride between two mountain peaks came to an abrupt halt on Thursday, police said.
The cable cars got stuck at an altitude of 12,468 feet, initially with 110 people on board. Sixty people were evacuated during the rescue operations.
The people still stuck in the cable cars have been provided with food, water and survival blankets.
We succeeded in evacuating, in very difficult conditions, 60 people in an hour and a half. We had to suspend the air transport rescue at nightfall.Georges-Francois Leclerc, Prefect, Haute-Savoie region
The problem was caused by cables that got crossed for “unknown reasons” around 2 pm and the employees of the Mont-Blanc Company weren’t able to repair them, Mathieu Dechavanne, CEO of the company that manages the cable cars told reporters.
The cable cars connect Aiguille du Midi on the French side of the mountains with Pointe Helbronner on the Italian border, where the rescued passengers were taken. Weather conditions were at first good but later deteriorated turning cloudy at the high altitudes.
The rescue operation involved three helicopters from Switzerland, France and Italy, Dechavanne said earlier. “We are in contact with the clients (in the cable cars).
The cable cars, which carry four passengers each, offer panoramic views of Mont Blanc, which straddles the French-Italian border.
(With inputs from PTI)
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