20 trapped in German cable car rescued
Source: Agencies |
August 14, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
EMERGENCY helicopters rescued 20 people yesterday who had been trapped for 17 hours overnight on an Alpine cable car near Germany's most famous castle.
Helicopter crews lifted the cable car operator and 19 tourists to safety early yesterday from a gondola suspended 100 meters above the ground on Tegelberg mountain in southern Germany, emergency services spokesman Roland Ampenberger said.
The cable car that climbs the mountain was halted on Friday after a paraglider tandem flight crashed into its cables, but strong winds hindered a swift rescue, police said. A mountain rescue specialist was lowered into the gondola late on Friday, however, providing enough food and clothing to keep the trapped tourists warm and fed through the night. He also stayed with the tourists, who ranged from age four to 75.
Those inside the 12-square-meter gondola were "tense, but remained calm," thanks to a permanent radio link with rescue forces, said Ampenberger. "What helps people in such a situation the most is information. It gives them a sense of safety," he said.
The 1,880-meter Tegelberg is within sight of one of Germany's most popular tourist attractions, Neuschwanstein Castle, which is often viewed as the inspiration for one of Walt Disney's fairy tale castles.
The first to be airlifted from the gondola were two men. The entire rescue operation took about two hours, and more than 200 emergency personnel were on site, Bavaria's mountain rescue service said.
The incident also blocked Tegelberg's second gondola, but that cable car was halted only 70 meters above ground and its 30 passengers were roped down to safety on Friday evening, it said.
Emergency services also airlifted some 130 people trapped at the mountain's top on Friday back to the nearby village of Schwangau.
The two paragliders - a 54-year-old pilot and a 35-year-old passenger - were rescued by helicopter on Friday and suffered only minor injuries. Police have opened an investigation.
Helicopter crews lifted the cable car operator and 19 tourists to safety early yesterday from a gondola suspended 100 meters above the ground on Tegelberg mountain in southern Germany, emergency services spokesman Roland Ampenberger said.
The cable car that climbs the mountain was halted on Friday after a paraglider tandem flight crashed into its cables, but strong winds hindered a swift rescue, police said. A mountain rescue specialist was lowered into the gondola late on Friday, however, providing enough food and clothing to keep the trapped tourists warm and fed through the night. He also stayed with the tourists, who ranged from age four to 75.
Those inside the 12-square-meter gondola were "tense, but remained calm," thanks to a permanent radio link with rescue forces, said Ampenberger. "What helps people in such a situation the most is information. It gives them a sense of safety," he said.
The 1,880-meter Tegelberg is within sight of one of Germany's most popular tourist attractions, Neuschwanstein Castle, which is often viewed as the inspiration for one of Walt Disney's fairy tale castles.
The first to be airlifted from the gondola were two men. The entire rescue operation took about two hours, and more than 200 emergency personnel were on site, Bavaria's mountain rescue service said.
The incident also blocked Tegelberg's second gondola, but that cable car was halted only 70 meters above ground and its 30 passengers were roped down to safety on Friday evening, it said.
Emergency services also airlifted some 130 people trapped at the mountain's top on Friday back to the nearby village of Schwangau.
The two paragliders - a 54-year-old pilot and a 35-year-old passenger - were rescued by helicopter on Friday and suffered only minor injuries. Police have opened an investigation.
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