Skiers stuck in gondola cars 25 meters (82 feet) above the ground in the French Alps were rescued by teams dropped from helicopters on Sunday.
Some 200 skiers at the Chamrousse resort were left stranded when the gondola cars that were carrying them stopped midway up a slope due to a breakdown at about 3pm local time, reported ABC.
Il se passe tjs qqchose #Chamrousse pic.twitter.com/nT9nLosP65
— king (@2lrbo) December 24, 2017
Each gondola car has space to carry 10 people.
The dramatic video, put out on social media, shows the rescue teams being lowered via civil security helicopters down onto gondola cars to help rescue those stuck inside.
Rescuers lowered from helicopters helped get 150 stranded skiers back on the ground after gondola malfunction at resort in the French Alps. https://t.co/XBHPwdrlmB pic.twitter.com/9qHKKcYNbZ
— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 24, 2017
Two helicopters were involved in the mission by dropping rescue personnel onto each gondola car to then free the skiers inside and lower them down to the ground to safety.
One of those skiers who was stuck, Huw Morgan, said it was like “a rocking greenhouse”, reported the ABC.
150 skiers rescued from stalled ski lift in the French Alps https://t.co/l7ScLRWpQN pic.twitter.com/njmY1qK8lg
— ChristopherPorreca01 (@chrisporrecanet) December 25, 2017
Morgan said they were stuck for around two hours.
There were no reported injuries from the incident and the reason for the breakdown of the eight-year-old gondola is not yet known.
The Daily Mail reported that the gondola links the town of Chamrousse to the summit of the Croix de Chamrousse, some 2,250 meters (7382 feet) above sea level.
SITUATION EN DIRECT >> télécabine en panne à @Chamrousse1700 || Importante opération de secours en cours >> évacuation #chamrousse @ledauphine @Francetele @France3tv pic.twitter.com/NBMMUuJQAq
— Morgane Goulot (@MommLaPomm) December 24, 2017
