After Cables Tangle On Vallee Blanche Cable Car, 33 Tourists Will Spend Night High Above The French Alps
Mont Blanc, France – On Thursday, September 8, 2016 the Vallee Blanche Cable Car ran into technical difficulties caused when supporting and towing cables that carry the cars got tangled.
At the time of the incident 110 tourists were on the Valle Blanche Cable Car. Technical teams were unable to untangle the cables and eventually called in mountain rescue around 5 PM.
Rescuers had to use helicopters for the rescue at 12,000′ due to the glacial terrain underneath the cable car. Two civil defense helicopters and one private company responded and were able to rescue 65 of the trapped tourists from the cable cars. Italian rescue teams were able to evacuate 12 other tourists without using helicopters because that cable car was closer to the ground.
Unfortunately, the helicopters and rescue teams were unable to evacuate the remaining 33 tourists due to nightfall. Those people will have to spend the night on the cable car. Temps will drop below freezing overnight. All but two of the cars have rescuers with them during the night. Each cabin is equipped with a survival kit. Rescuers were also able to supply all passengers with food and blankets. All passengers know what is going on and are fully aware of the situation. (NYTimes.com)
Rescue efforts will resume at 6:30 AM.
About The Vallee Blanche Cable Car
After four years of construction, the Vallee Blanche Cable Car opened in 1958. In Italy it is called the Funivia dei Ghiacciai and in France it is called the Télécabine Panoramic Mont-Blanc. The cable car consists of 12 groups of 3 cabins that are pulled by a 10,200 meter haul rope in a single loop. The trip takes 30 to 35 minutes one way.
The Vallee Blanche cable car covers 5 km connecting the Aiguille du Midi (3,778 m / 12395′) above Chamonix, France and Pointe Helbronner (3,466 m / 11371′) above Courmeyer, Italy. The cable car travels below Mont Blanc. It crosses the Vallee Blanche goes through the Gros Rognon Station and crosses the Glacier du Geant.
The only other major incident involving the Valle Blanche Cable Car took place on 29 August 1961 when a Republic F-84F Thunderstreak of the French Armée de l’Air hit the hauling cable (Wikipedia).
Read more about the tourists stuck on Mont Blanc Cable Car from these sources:
- CNN.com
- Télécabine Panoramique Mont-Blanc
- IBTimes.com
- ABCNews.com
- eTurboNews.com
- Wikipedia: Vallee Blanche Cable Car
- NYTimes.com
