"Opening day 2000 at Kitzsteinhorn Glacier near Kaprun, Austria, was supposed to be the joyful start of the 2000-01 season-instead, the day turned into the deadliest ski resort disaster in history. The 9:00 a.m. funicular train 'Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2' was carrying 162 people that morning when a fire broke out inside the 3.3-kilometer (2.1-mile) long tunnel on November 11. Only 12 people managed to escape the blaze, while a shocking 155, including two from an oncoming train as"
"The funicular had departed as scheduled at 09:00 a.m., with 161 passengers and one train conductor at the front of the train. Survivors describe noticing smoke coming from the empty conductor cabin at the end of the train fairly quickly. The train conductor, several cabins ahead, was oblivious until the train suddenly stopped 600 meters (2,000 feet) into the tunnel. The train conductor had no idea why the train had suddenly stopped and called the station to enquire if they had triggered an emergency stop."
"However, what had happened was that the fire had burned through the hydraulic lines, triggering an emergency stop to prevent the funicular from sliding back down uncontrolled. Soon, the train conductor was alerted by passengers to the smoke coming from the end of the train, making its way up to the front. He reported the fire to the station before the phone line was severed. The station head told him to evacuate the train; however, since the hydraulic fluid had leaked, the train doors would not open automatically."
On November 11, 2000, a fire broke out inside the 3.3-kilometer tunnel serving the Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2 funicular, trapping 162 people. Only 12 people escaped while 155 people died, including two from an oncoming train and three at the top station. The train departed on schedule with a conductor at the front; survivors noted smoke from the empty conductor cabin at the rear. The train stopped 600 meters into the tunnel after fire burned hydraulic lines and triggered an emergency stop. Attempts to evacuate failed because leaked hydraulic fluid prevented doors from opening and acrylic windows were vandalism-proof, hampering escape.
Read at SnowBrains
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]