Passenger dead
Video shows brutal gondola crash in Switzerland
A gondola crashed in the Swiss ski resort of Engelberg-Titlis (Canton of Obwalden). Eyewitness videos quickly spread across social media. One person was fatally injured in the accident.
The online edition of the daily newspaper “Blick” published a video from an eyewitness: It reportedly shows the gondola in question plummeting down a snow-covered slope and rolling over several times (see video above).
The weather service MeteoSchweiz reported on its website that Engelberg had sunny conditions and temperatures of around eight degrees at noon. There was also a wind warning, with “wind gusts in exposed areas above 1,800 meters” reaching up to 130 kilometers per hour. An eyewitness recounted: “It was very windy. Then there was a jolt where the cable moved.” At that moment, the cable snapped and the cabin crashed.
Desperate resuscitation attempts
The accident occurred at an altitude of about 2,000 meters, which made access difficult for rescue crews and police. Footage shows the crashed gondola and an emergency medical team apparently performing CPR on the injured person. Mountain rescuers “tried to revive one person for at least 30 minutes,” reports “Blick,” describing the “shocking sight” witnessed by an eyewitness.
Police hold press conference
At the 3 p.m. press conference regarding the accident, police announced that only one person had been in the crashed cabin, which is certified to carry eight people. Despite all efforts, the victim succumbed to their injuries. Further details regarding the victim’s identity and the cause of the accident would follow later. The evacuation of winter sports enthusiasts who were traveling on the route in other gondolas has been completed.
Switzerland Tourism ranks the region around the highest mountain in Central Switzerland, the Titlis, among the most popular ski resorts in Switzerland, alongside Zermatt, Davos, St. Moritz, and others. It is considered to have reliable snow conditions from October to May and offers, among other things, a downhill run with a 2,000-meter vertical drop. The area is located a good 130 kilometers southeast of Basel. It can be reached from Zurich Airport in an hour and a half.
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