Four seriously injured in chairlift and cable collision
Four people have been seriously injured after a chairlift plunged to the ground in central Switzerland. Two of the victims have life-threatening injuries.
The accident happened on Thursday evening in the Alpine ski area of StoosExternal link-Fronalpstock just after 10pm. The chairlift was taking ten people home after a private business event, as had been planned.
Investigations have so far shown that the accident was “in connection with a stretched out winch cable for a piste vehicle. The four-person chairlift collided with the cable during its descent and as a resulted plunged ten metres”, an updated police statement said on Friday morning.External link
Nach dem Absturz eines Vierersessels am Fronalpstock sind zwei Personen lebensbedrohlich und zwei erheblich verletzt. Erste Erkenntnisse ergaben, dass der Sessel mit einem Windenseil eines Pistenfahrzeugs kollidiert.
— Kantonspolizei SZ (@KapoSchwyz) February 7, 2020External link
Mehr Infos: https://t.co/RfaCK0PwMWExternal link pic.twitter.com/iJCS08j1zKExternal link
“Just how this situation could have occurred is part of the ongoing investigation,” it added.
A 33-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man have life-threatening injuries. Two men aged 33 and 38 have serious injuries. They were taken to hospital in emergency helicopters.
Six people who were in the two following chairlifts were rescued by the emergency services and were uninjured.
A large rescue operation was carried out, which included four emergency helicopters.
The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB) will be involved in investigating the cause and circumstances of the accident, as well as the local investigating magistrate.
The chairlift will remain out of operation until further notice.
More
World’s steepest funicular puts Stoos back on the tourist map
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.