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Photo of the Cime Caron cable car in Val Thorens.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS – A frightening start to the season. A serious gondola accident took place at the Val Thorens ski resort, in Savoie, on the morning of Tuesday, November 19. The cabin of the Cime Caron cable car “hit the arrival station”, said the prefecture in a press release. The accident left six people injured, two of them seriously. The local press describes that the cabin was “recessed”.
The accident occurred in very difficult weather conditions, at more than 3,000 meters altitude”, around 7:30 a.m. The cabin carried a total of 16 workers. It was in fact used as part of the construction site « Caron 3 200 »a new complex with a mountain restaurant and a panoramic terrace, which was to open in December, reports the Dauphiné Libéré.
The injured evacuated by another cable car
The balance sheet shows “ two people seriously injured without a life-threatening condition and four lightly injured,” according to information provided by the prefecture. At the end of the morning, the victims and those involved were being evacuated by another cable car. The weather made access by helicopter difficult, according to Dauphiné Libéré.
A crisis management unit has been activated, as well as a departmental operational center and a numerous casualty plan (NOVI), for better coordination of relief efforts. “Significant resources from the departmental fire and rescue service and the Savoie SAMU are committed to caring for the victims. The resort’s first aid trackers, the CRS Alpes and the PGHM are also on site”indicates the prefecture.
The Savoyard resort plans to inaugurate its winter season this Saturday. Located at high altitude, it is, along with Tignes, one of the first resorts to open at the arrival of the cold season.
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