19 People and a Dog Rescued After Cable Car Incident in Austrian Alps

A picturesque scenic ride up Austria’s Karren mountain quickly turned into a sketchy aerial rescue on Monday, when 19 people and a dog became trapped in a cable car hanging 80 meters above the ground. Gusts from an unexpected storm front blew the lift’s cables out of their guides, disabling the car and forcing a complex rescue operation.

With the support cables out of alignment, rescue via another cable car was not an option-- Vorarlberg’s mountain rescue team made the call to deploy a helicopter for an aerial extraction. The group was left hanging midair for more than four hours before the rescue teams was able to safely extract them. 

According to ORF, Austria’s national broadcaster, the helicopter’s air flow caused the gondola to vibrate dangerously during approach, complicating the situation. Rescuers had to carefully hover above the swaying cabin while lowering the mountain rescue team onto the roof. Each passenger was carefully secured and lowered to the ground via rope. 

The Karren cable car has been temporarily shut down pending an investigation into the mechanical failure. Austria’s Federal Safety Investigation Board (SUB) did not classify the incident as a “serious accident,” meaning there is no obligation to conduct a federal safety investigation, though when the cable car will be back up and running remains in the air.

We're happy to report all 19 individuals and the dog were safely rescued.