Industry News
A gondola crashed to the ground in the ski resort Öetz in Tyrol, Austria, on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. According to police reports, a tree fell onto the rope of the gondola ropeway at 10:22 a.m., causing the eight-seater gondola to dislodge and plummet to the ground. On board the gondola was a family from Denmark.
Two Danish brothers, aged 46 and 49, together with the daughter (17) and son (19) of the older brother, had boarded the gondola of the Achterkogelbahn at the Austrian ski resort. The gondola leads from the valley station in Öetz directly to the Hochöetz ski area at an altitude of 2,000 meters (6,562 feet).
According to the police, the injured were recovered from the helicopter with a rope and taken to hospitals in Zams and Innsbruck. The recovery was difficult because the crash site in the middle of the railway was rough terrain in the forest, said a spokesman for the mountain railway company. All four members of the Danish family were severely injured in the incident, with one person in critical condition. Two German citizens, aged 58 and 62, in a neighboring gondola, were also injured when the swinging of the cable caused their gondola cabin to rock violently.
After the accident, the remaining gondolas, together with occupants, were evacuated and removed from the rope, and the gondola operation was suspended. However, the ski area can still be reached via other mountain railways. In a statement from the responsible Austrian Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation & Technology, it was said that “a detailed damage assessment of the current accident has been requested.” The operation of the gondola will remain suspended until the investigation of the incident has been concluded.
