A cable car in a western Austrian skiing region has plunged more than 30ft in an accident apparently caused by a falling tree, seriously injuring four people who were inside the car.
A tree fell on a part fixing the car to the cable of the Acherkogelbahn in the Hochoetz skiing area of Tyrol province, the Austria Press Agency reported.
The car then fell with four Danish occupants — a man aged 49, his 20-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter, and their 46-year-old uncle.
One of them had life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital in Innsbruck.
Local police commander Hubert Juen said the total number of injured was believed to be six. Two German citizens in the next car were hurt as a result of the vibrations of the cable, which did not break, but it was not clear how seriously.
Experts were still investigating how the accident happened but “nothing points to a technical or human failure”, Mr Juen said.
The operator said no irregularities had been noticed during a test run of the facility early on Tuesday. The weather at the time of the accident was not windy.
