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Nine dead in Austrian cable car plunge

Posted on: Monday, 5 September 2005, 08:02 CDT

VIENNA (Reuters) - Nine people were killed when two cable cars plunged down a mountain side near the tourist destination of Soelden, in the west Austrian state of Tyrol, police said on Monday.

A police spokesman said details had not been confirmed but it appeared a helicopter was involved in the incident.

A spokeswoman for the Austrian Red Cross said up to 10 more people had been seriously injured in the accident, which occurred near a popular Alpine ski area.

Austrian broadcaster ORF reported that a helicopter flying construction material to the top of the lift had dropped a piece of concrete on the cables, knocking at least one car off its wires and causing others to swing violently.

Soelden, in the Oetztal region of Tyrol, is a popular ski resort both in winter and in summer, when tourists take cable cars up to glaciers on the peaks above the village.

The lift carried passengers up to the ski area, between Rettenbach and Tiefenbachferner.

Source: REUTERS

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