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One dead after cable car crashes down mountainside in Swiss Alps

One dead after cable car crashes down mountainside in Swiss Alps
The gondola crashed in the Titlis ski areas. Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay

A cable car lift crashed to the ground in the Swiss resort of Engelberg, in the canton of Obwalden, on Wednesday as gale-force winds swept through the area. At least one person was reported to have died.

A video posted on 20 Minutes showed the cabin tumbling several times after falling from the cable before coming to a sudden stop at the bottom of the slope.

The cable that fell was carrying just one passenger, who police confirmed died in the crash after sustaining fatal injuries. The victim's identity has not been confirmed.

"There was a strong wind. Then there was a jolt, and the cable moved" before it crashed, a witness told the news site Blick.

Emergency rescue teams could be seen working at the site of the crash. Passengers in other cable cars had to be evacuated.

 

 

The video from the scene also showed a person being resuscitated by emergency workers and other cable cars swaying in the wind.

The incident happened around 11am as strong winds of between 85km/h  and 130km/h battered the region, according to Météo France.

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The Titlis ski area website indicated that the Titlis Xpress TrĂĽbsee-Stand lift was currently closed due to high winds.

The Xpress TrĂĽbsee-Stand cable car takes guests to ski slopes at an altitude of approximately 2,400 meters. The cable car is almost 1,900 meters long.

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