Story By: Koen Berghuis, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Central European News
These are the startling images taken after five cable cars at a ski lift smashed into each other high above a ski slope due to high winds.
The bizarre accident happened yesterday [Sunday] at a ski lift in Hochzillertal, one of the most important skiing areas in the mountainous Austrian state of Tyrol.
The cable cars of the “Wimbach Express” smashed into each other at one of the pillars near the town of Kaltenbach.
The operation of the cable car had already been temporarily discontinued due to strong winds in the morning.
Picture Credits: CEN
The gondolas were in the process of being retracted by the cable car operators when one gondola got entangled at one of the pillars.
As a result, four other gondolas smashed into the stuck gondola, creating a mass pileup.
When operators saw the accident, they immediately stopped the circulation of the cable cars, preventing an even bigger pileup.
As no passengers were on board, nobody was injured in the accident.
The exact damage done in the accident is currently unknown and it is not known when the cable car will be operational again.
According to a spokesman from Hochzillertal Cable Cars, the authorities are currently investigating the accident.
The “Wimbach Express” cable car is only one year old and is designed to transport up to 2,620 passengers per hour up to the ski slopes.