Tourists stuck in French Alps cable cars rescued

RESCUE WORK: A tourist who, among others, spent a night in cable cars in the French Alps is escorted by rescuers after being brought to the ground in Courmayeur on Friday. (AFP)

COURMAYEUR: More than 30 tourists who spent a dramatic night stranded in cable cars above the French Alps were brought to the ground Friday after an 18-hour ordeal, operators said.
They were the last of 110 sightseers trapped when the cable cars ground to a halt Thursday afternoon in the shadow of Mont Blanc, western Europe’s loftiest peak.
After a night in the frozen dark, dangling at an altitude of 3,800 meters (12,500 feet), the string of cars lurched into movement at around 8 a.m. (0600 GMT).
The incident was caused by cables that got crossed for “unknown reasons,” but a gust of wind is thought to have played a part, said Mathieu Dechavanne, boss of the Mont-Blanc Company which manages the system.
The cars were restarted after the last cable was untangled, he told AFP.
The 33 remaining passengers were able to reach the ground by exiting the cars at three points on the way down, an official said.
Teams on Thursday had been able to rescue 77 passengers, most of them by helicopters and others who were able to climb down with help.