Fri, Jul 21st 2023
A Glacier 3000 gondola in Les Diablerets, Vaud failed Thursday. Around 270 tourists were stuck on the mountain and had to be taken to the middle station by helicopter.
The head of Glacier 3000, Bernhard Tschannen, confirmed to Keystone SDA that the breakdown occurred around 11 a.m. on RTS radio and television in western Switzerland.
According to Tschannen, there was a problem with the electricity because a frequency converter stopped working. The people stuck in the cabin were pulled into the station with the emergency engine. When it became apparent that the breakdown could not be repaired so quickly, the decision was made at around 1 p.m. to evacuate by helicopter.
Two Air Glacier helicopters were deployed, making a total of 54 flights. The operation lasted about an hour and a half, according to the information.
The repair work is in progress, says Tschannen. It is hoped that normal operations will resume on Friday morning.
This article was reprinted with permission from Keystone SDA.
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