The cabin of a cable car at the Val Thorens station, in Savoie, which was transporting workers for a construction site, “hit the arrival station” this Tuesday, November 19. Six people were injured, two of them seriously.
An accident in the highest ski resort in Europe. A cable car accident used as part of a construction site in progress took place this Tuesday, November 19 in the morning in the Val Thorens resort, in Savoie, which is due to open this Saturday for the winter season. Six people were injured, two of them seriously. Here's what we know about the accident.
• The cabin “hit the arrival station”
16 workers were on board the station's Cime Caron cable car to reach the construction site of a reception building located on the eponymous summit. This building, “Caron 3200”, must offer skiers and walkers several services, including catering, within a few weeks.
While the workers were climbing to more than 3,000 meters of altitude aboard this cable car – the largest in Europe when it was built in 1982 – the accident occurred around 7:30 a.m. The cabin of the cable car, renovated in 2019, “hit the arrival station”, notes the Savoie prefecture in a press release. The reason still remains unknown.
The report shows “two people seriously injured with no life threatening prognosis and four slightly injured”, state services detail.
The victims and those involved were being evacuated by another gondola, Orelle-Caron, at the end of the morning. The two seriously injured victims were “transported to hospitals in Grenoble and Chambéry”, according to Dauphiné Libéré.
They “mainly suffered from trauma to the pelvis. We noted that the injuries were linked to a shock”, subsequently clarified the director of the Belleville slopes service, Benjamin Blanc, during a press conference followed by the daily . Before adding: “We cannot say at the moment whether this shock was violent or not.”
• “Difficult weather conditions”
The only notable fact at this stage: the “weather conditions on site” were “very difficult at more than 3,000 meters”, specifies prefect François Ravier. Indeed, Savoie is not spared from the depression which crosses the country this Tuesday and has been placed by Météo France on yellow alert for “wind”.
Tuesday morning, the webcams installed on the slopes showed a snowy landscape and a horizon caught in the clouds.
“The wind blew at 80-90 km/h this morning according to Météo France which took readings in the area,” notes Kévin Floury, weather and climate journalist for BFMTV. “Added to this is the snow which accentuates the particularly bad weather.”
Kévin Floury specifies that this ski resort, the highest in Europe, “will still welcome a lot of snow and wind in the coming hours”.
• “Significant resources” mobilized, according to the prefecture
In images broadcast by Dauphiné Libéré, we can see the emergency services working. People are transported on a stretcher. There are many fire engines in the parking lot. Helicopters were also present.
The prefect of Savoie has activated a crisis management cell as well as a departmental operational center and a numerous victims plan (NOVI) for better coordination of relief.
“Significant resources from the departmental fire and rescue service and the Savoie SAMU are committed to caring for the victims. The station's first aid trackers, the CRS Alpes and the PGHM (the mountain unit of the national gendarmerie, Editor's note) are also on site”, indicates the prefecture.
In all, 125 people are participating in relief operations, said the prefect in Dauphiné Libéré. “As for the uninjured people, they are welcomed in a room made available by the town of Orelle and a medico-psychological unit has been activated,” François Ravier told the local newspaper.
The Albertville public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation entrusted to the CRS Alpes, according to France Bleu. “Specialists from the technical expertise service for ski lifts and guided transport (STRMTG)” must go to the site, added Anne Gaches, the Albertville public prosecutor.
• The station will open on Saturday despite the accident
The Savoyard resort of Val Thorens, the highest resort in Europe at 2,300 meters above sea level, is due to kick off the ski season this Saturday, November 23, with that of Tignes. The other resorts will stagger the opening of their slopes until the Christmas holidays.
Despite the accident, “we are going to open the station on Saturday”, the station's tourist office told AFP. Information concerning the opening perimeter (piste and lifts) will be communicated soon on social networks.
Le Dauphiné Libéré specifies, however, that “the opening of the Cime Caron cable car is compromised”.
Juliette Brossault with AFP
