Passengers rescued in gondola collapse accident in western Canada
17/12/2008 16:47
Dozens of passengers have been rescued after being stranded for hours in
sagging gondola cars when a support tower collapsed yesterday in western Canada,
reports reaching in Ottawa said.
The accident happened earlier yesterday when
the tower at the foot of Mountain Blackcomb in Whistler, British Columbia,
suddenly leaned sideways, leaving about 15 cars dangling on the cable, Doug
Forseth, senior vice president of the resort, told reporters.
Firefighters
used long ladders to rescue the passengers, while a crane was used to prevent
the tower from collapsing further.
Forseth said a total of 53 passengers had
been rescued. He said no more people are trapped.
About five people received
minor injuries and were taken to hospital.
Forseth said it is not clear what
caused the structural failure, but an investigation would be conducted
today.
This is not the first accident to happen on a ski lift at
Whistler-Blackcomb, which will host alpine events at the 2010 Winter
Games.
In 1993, an accident on Whistler's Quicksilver lift killed two men,
and injured nine others.
Xinhua
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