Advertisement

Cable car worker plunges to death in safety check

Malcolm Curtis
Malcolm Curtis - [email protected]
Cable car worker plunges to death in safety check
View of Gant-Hohtälli cable car tower. Photo: Valais cantonal police

A 39-year-old worker checking a cable car during a safety inspection died on Tuesday afternoon after falling from a pylon near Zermatt in the canton of Valais, cantonal police said.

Advertisement

The victim was an employee of the Zermatt Bergbahnnen (ZBAG) lift operating company, police said in a news release.

He was accompanying a federal transport office official during an operational inspection of the Gant-Hohtälli cable car system, according to the release.

While traversing a walkway on the pylon to return to a cable car at around 1pm the man for undetermined reasons lost his balance and fell 25 metres, police said.

The victim, a native of Valais, died from his injuries.

Earlier on Tuesday, a 61-year-old Italian man died in the Zermatt region while descending from the 4,633-metre Dufour Peak (Dufourspitze).

The man was with two other climbers, including an Italian guide, when he fell several metres at the 4,500-metre level and died on the spot from his injuries, Valais police said.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also