Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Skiers trapped in wildly swinging chairlift as Storm Eleanor sweeps Europe

'The guests were always safe, the safety bars and bubble were always closed'

Lydia Smith
Friday 05 January 2018 13:13 GMT
Comments
Terrified skiiers trapped on ski lift swinging in extreme cold weather in Austria

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The terrifying moment that skiers were stuck in a chairlift swinging violently because of strong winds brought on by Storm Eleanor, has been captured on video.

Shot at the Silvretta Montafon ski resort in Austria, staff attempted to climb up the lift system to free the stranded people.

But they were forced to cling on as high winds and the snow storm buffets them.

No one was injured in the incident and the chairlift's managing director Martin Oberhammer told the Voralberg ORF radio station that the skiers had never been in danger.

"The guests were always safe, the safety bars and bubble were always closed," he said.

Storm Eleanor has swept across northern Europe, killing at least four people and cutting power to tens of thousands of homes.

A skier died after being hit by a falling tree in the French Alps, where dangerous conditions have led to the closure of several resorts.

Firefighters in the region also said a woman in her 90s had died of a heart attack in Crets-en-Belledonne after her home was engulfed by flood waters.

Two people were also killed on the Basque coast in northern Spain’s when they were swept away by a wave.

Meanwhile, in Switzerland, eight people were injured when strong winds overturned a railway carriage.

The storm has also caused widespread damage to buildings in Germany and the Netherlands.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in