One dead after gondola cabin plunges in Swiss resort of Engelberg

The cause of the fatal gondola crash is now being investigated. Keystone-SDA

A 61-year-old woman died in a cable car accident in the Engelberg-Titlis ski resort in central Switzerland after a cabin crashed down a snowy mountainside on Wednesday morning. The woman was alone in the gondola, Nidwalden cantonal police have confirmed. The exact cause of the accident is unknown, though strong winds were reported in the region.

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The gondola cabin detached and rolled over several times, according to the police. “At the time of the accident, only one person was on board. They succumbed to their injuries,” Senad Sakic, an official from the Nidwalden cantonal police, told reporters at a press conference. The accident occurred at around 11:30am.

The person was later identified as a 61-year-old woman who lives in the region. The cause of the crash is now being investigated.

Blick newspaper was the first to report the accident. A video published on the Blick website (seen below) shows the cabin plunging down a steep snowy slope. Emergency services and Rega helicopters were rushed to the scene.

The operator of the Titlis Bergbahnen lift company expressed their shock at the accident. This was an extraordinary event that came “out of the blue”, said managing director Norbert Patt.

Safety is the most important aspect for a mountain railway or lift, which makes this tragic accident all the more serious, Patt told reporters. “We hope to obtain verified facts quickly,” he said, while extending his condolences to the victim’s relatives.

The Swiss Accident Investigation Board (SAIB) will decide when the lift can go back into operation, Patt said. It is important that the incident is properly investigated. “We will make all available camera footage available,” he said.

100-200 others evacuated from gondolas

Engelberg-Titlis is the largest ski resort in central Switzerland, offering 82 kilometres of marked runs ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 metres above sea level. 

According to Blick, the ski lift involved in the incident was the Titlis Xpress Trübsee-Stand gondola, which opened in 2015. The Engelberg resort website says that gondolas on this lift can each carry eight people.

The Xpress Trübsee-Stand connection takes guests to ski slopes at an altitude of around 2,400 metres. The lift is just under 1,900 metres long. Keystone / Urs Flueeler

It is estimated that 100-200 other people were evacuated from 40 other gondolas on the lift and brought to safety as the cable car had stopped operating after the accident.

The last inspection of the installation took place last September. The lifts must be checked once every six months.

Windy day

Numerous local ski lifts were closed on Wednesday due to strong winds. The Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) had issued a wind warning of level 2 for “moderate danger”.

An alarm is triggered on the lift when winds reach speeds of 40 km/h, and operations must be suspended at 60 km/h. It is unclear exactly how strong the wind was and whether an alarm was triggered on Wednesday.

Rare incident

Ski lift accidents are rare in Switzerland. The worst gondola lift accident occurred on July 12, 1972. The traction cable of a cable car travelling between Betten and Bettmeralp in canton Valais snapped causing it to race back down the valley where it crashed. Thirteen people died.

After the accident, trust in the safety of cable cars slumped. This eventually resulted in a tightening of regulations and more frequent inspections.

It is estimated that 100-200 other people were evacuated from 40 gondolas on the lift and brought to safety as the cable car had stopped operating after the accident. Keystone / Urs Flueeler

Cable cars have a long tradition in Switzerland. The first cable car opened in 1866. Around 2,400 installations are currently in operation, the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) writes on its website. The FOT is responsible for around 650 of these. The supervision and inspection of installations with cantonal permits lies with the Intercantonal Concordat for Cable Cars and Ski Lifts (IKSS).

In its 2024 annual report, the IKSS said the number of incidents and accidents had decreased significantly compared to previous years. According to the IKSS inspection body, 20 people were injured in 65 incidents and accidents in 2024.

Twenty-five of the accidents were attributable to passenger misconduct, eleven were caused by environmental factors and 29 fell into the category “various triggers”, which includes technical faults, inadequate maintenance and misconduct by operating personnel or third parties.

According to the Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund (SUVA), one person loses their life every year in a workplace accident in the cable car industry. In the same period, an average of four employees become disabled, according to SUVA.

Adapted from Italian by AI/updated by sb

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