23 injured in cable car collision with crane in the French Alps

The mayor of Alpe d'Huez, Jean-Yves Noyrey, spoke on site on Thursday evening. He thanked the rescue services for their swift response and expressed his sympathy to the injured and their families. Noyrey described the incident as dramatic, but emphasized that, according to current knowledge, it had turned out less severely than initially feared.

The cable car connection in Alpe d'Huez is one of the best-known winter sports facilities in the region and is also used in summer by hikers and tourists. Following the incident, operations on the system were immediately halted so that specialists could reconstruct the course of the accident.

The responsible authorities announced a thorough investigation. It is to clarify why the crane truck entered the gondola's path and whether a technical failure, an operating error, or external circumstances possibly led to the collision. The public prosecutor's office has been involved.

Investigations into the cause of the accident are underway

The prefecture announced that the seriously injured persons were out of danger to life. The slightly injured mostly suffered bruises and shock, which were treated on site as well as in hospitals. A crisis management team was set up to care for those affected and their families.

Residents of the surrounding localities were visibly affected. Many of them know the cable car as a fixed part of everyday life. According to social media, spontaneous offers of help formed in the hours after the accident, such as rides to hospitals and support for relatives.

Reactions and offers of help from the population

Travelers who were in the vicinity of the valley station at the time of the incident unanimously described a loud bang, followed by screams. Several witnesses stated that the rescue services arrived at the scene of the accident within a few minutes and that the evacuation of the gondola proceeded swiftly.

The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in which Alpe d'Huez is located, is one of France's most important tourism areas. According to the regional tourism association, the cable car is heavily frequented year-round. The region's chamber of commerce offered psychological support to the families of the injured.

The cable car is considered a technically modern system with regular maintenance intervals. Whether the applicable safety standards were observed is now part of the ongoing investigations. Specialists from the French Ministry of Transport were dispatched to the scene of the accident, according to the prefecture.