Tuesday November 19, the Cime Caron cable car in Val Thorens collided with its arrival station. Two workers were seriously injured. The prosecution specifies that the accident could be linked to human error.
The essentials of the day: our exclusive selection
Every day, our editorial team reserves the best regional news for you. A selection just for you, to stay in touch with your regions.
France Télévisions uses your email address to send you the newsletter “The essentials of the day: our exclusive selection”. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link at the bottom of this newsletter. Our privacy policy
It was 7:01 a.m. this Tuesday, November 19 when cabin number 2 of the Cime Caron cable car hit the station's arrival station, located at an altitude of 3,200 meters in Val Thorens, in Savoie, at high speed. Sixteen workers were then present in the cabin and working on two sites, including that of a panoramic restaurant. Eight of them were injured, two of them seriously. Several people were also taken into psychological care in Orelle and Val Thorens.
Also read: A gondola at the Val Thorens station crashes into an arrival station: eight injured, two of them serious
“The accident could result from human error without excluding other technical causes that the investigations (…) could determine,” reports Anne Gaches, public prosecutor of Albertville, in a press release. These are the first findings of investigators from the gendarmerie and the Technical Service for Ski Lifts and Guided Transport (STRMTG) regarding the Val Thorens cable car accident.
The cabin was controlled in mode “construction site” or “manuel”. Less secure management than when the cable car is used by the public. According to the station, the worker responsible for piloting was “extremely experienced”. He would have been “very shocked” by the accident and taken care of by the psychological unit.
The investigation into unintentional injuries was entrusted to the CRS Alpes, the Savoie gendarmerie group and the Chambéry research section. Investigations are continuing as part of a judicial investigation, entrusted this Thursday, November 21 to an investigating judge.
- -
