French Alps Cable Cars Stall - Dozens Trapped Overnight, Rescue Done, Passengers Safe
Cable car company thanks people involved in the rescue of passengers and announced the reopening of the cable ride
From a height of 12,000 feet, passengers were trapped overnight inside cable cars in the French Alps. Dozens of people consisting of families with children rode cable cars in the Alps taking the usual tour when two cable cars crossed over each other and became stuck.
Passengers had no choice but to spend the night inside the stalled cable cars because it began to grow dark and weather conditions became impossible to conduct a night rescue.
110 people trapped
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Around 4:30 p.m. local time, 110 people on board separate cable cars were simply enjoying the view when two cable cars met and became stuck. A passenger recalled the ordeal saying that they were just on the car for not more than 10 minutes when the ride stopped along l'Aiguille du Midi.
The passengers merely thought that there was nothing to worry about and the ride would soon resume but the cars did not move for more than two hours. They were told that rescue helicopters were coming and they had to be evacuated because of some issues with the cables.
Rescue teams on board helicopters were able to initially rescue 65 people and bring them to a safe location. Hours later, 12 more passengers were removed from a cable car and were transferred to a connecting car which will take them to Courmayeur, an Italian town nearby.
But some passengers were not too lucky. Just as soon as a helicopter was ready to take them from a stuck car, a thick fog formed. This made the rescue impossible. By the time the fog settled, it was already too dark to conduct the rescue. Some passengers consisting of families were forced to stay inside the cars overnight.
Supplies in each cable car
Iain Cleaver, a representative of the Mont-Blanc Company that manages the cable cars reassured the media that they regularly communicated with the remaining people inside the cars. They called their cell phones and made sure that they had access to survival kits inside each cabin.
The representative said that they had survival kits that contained water, food supplies, cereal bars and blankets. Extra supplies were also passed on to cable cars that rescue personnel could reach. Finally, all passengers were rescued from the stalled cable cars Friday morning.
Chilly ordeal
Those that had to spend the night inside the cable cars said that the cold was bearable in the early evening but the blankets were useless at around 3 to 4 a.m. Passengers also recalled that a Korean family who had small children with them were also forced to sleep overnight. The family was very anxious since they could not understand what was happening.
Passengers reassured each other and helped keep spirits up until rescue was available the next day. A medical team was at the Chamonix region to check the passengers for hypothermia.
Cable car company thanks rescuers and reopening
The Mont-Blanc Company thanked everyone involved in the rescue. They also said that the first 2 sections of the cable cars are expected to start servicing passengers around 10 a.m. local time. The third section, where the stalled incident happened, will be thoroughly checked and will reopen 24 hours after.
