Serious Cable Car Accident In Val Thorens
A cable car accident at the popular French ski resort of Val Thorens has left multiple people injured.
In very difficult weather conditions on site at over 3000 meters, an accident occurred around 7:30 am, this Tuesday, November 19, 2024, in the Val Thorens resort. A cabin of the Cime Caron cable car, which was being used as part of an ongoing construction site and carrying 16 workers, hit the arrival station.
On Tuesday morning, November 19, François RavierPrefect of Savoie activated his crisis management unit, the departmental operational center, and the mass casualty plan (NOVI), in order to coordinate the emergency services, in conjunction with the mayors of the municipalities concerned.
The final toll is 17 people involved. Two seriously injured people were transported by helicopter to the hospitals of Chambéry and Grenoble. Their prognosis is not life-threatening. Six slightly injured people were transported by road to the hospitals of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Albertville and Chambéry. The remaining nine people were treated in Val Thorens and Orelle, in particular for psychological support.
More than 120 personnel were mobilized to provide assistance to the victims, with rescue operations being commanded by firefighters from the Savoie departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS 73).
The land transport accident investigation office will go to the scene tomorrow. A judicial investigation has also been opened by the Albertville public prosecutor's office.
Ravier hanked the SDIS , the PGHM , the CRS Alpes, the SAMU , the national gendarmerie, the doctors and the ski patrollers of the Val Thorens resort who enabled the rapid care of the victims despite the difficult weather conditions. He also thanks the mayors and municipal teams of Belleville and Orelle for their mobilization.
"The last injured are being treated and evacuated. As for the uninjured, they are being received in a room provided by the town of Orelle and a medical-psychological unit has been activated," added Ravier. "There are around 125 people involved in the rescue operation, including around a hundred firefighters as well as the CRS Alpes, reinforcements from the PGHM, the Smur and members of the ski slopes service. The crisis unit should be lifted at the end of the morning. The material damage has not yet been assessed. Obviously, it was necessary to manage the emergency of the injured as a priority. Tomorrow, a team from the technical service for ski lifts and guided transport (STRMTG) will go to the site to begin investigating."
"The seriously injured mainly suffered from pelvic trauma. We found that the injuries were related to a shock. But we cannot say at the moment whether this shock was violent or not," said Benjamin Blanc, director of the Belleville slopes service during the press conference given at the Val Thorens tourist office. "There was no extrication to be carried out. As for the kinetics of the accident, we are not able to answer at the present time," he added.
Confirming the involvement of the Albertville Prosecutor in a criminal enquiry, Mr Ravier said: 'It's too early to know the exact circumstances that led to this accident.' Asked about possible human error, the Prefect said he would 'refrain from commenting on the matter' so as not to prejudice the enquiry. 'We will wait for the investigtion to conclude,' he said.
The injured were transported to hospitals in Annecy and Grenoble. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.
Val Thorens, known for its high altitude and extensive ski area, was set to open for the winter season on November 23rd. This incident has raised concerns about safety protocols and infrastructure at the resort. The resort is schedued to open this weekend
