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Cable-car kerfuffle

August 13, 2011

Police say twenty tourists who spent the night in a cable car 100 meters (325 feet) up the Alps in southern Germany, were rescued by helicopter on Saturday.

https://p.dw.com/p/12G2O
A cable car in which tourists were stuck overnight in Bavaria
The tourists were trapped in a small compartment of the cable carImage: picture alliance/dpa

Twenty people forced to spend a night suspended mid-air in a cable car in Bavaria on Friday were rescued by helicopter on Saturday after an 18-hour ordeal.

It began mid-afternoon when a paraglider hit a cable, causing their cable car to stop. The incident took place in Tegelberg, near the Neuschwanstein castle tourist attraction, in the Bavarian Alps.

Rescue personnel in a helicopter
Mountain rescue personnel resumed their efforts on Saturday morningImage: picture alliance/dpa

Trapped 100 meters above ground, some tourists were brought down on Friday but strong winds meant rescue efforts had to abandoned at nightfall. Police said the remaining 20 were finally rescued by helicopter on Saturday morning.

The drama began when a passing tandem paraglider crashed into the cable, preventing its continued operation. The paraglider was treated for concussion.

Author: Darren Mara (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Sonia Phalnikar

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