© Philippe Goyet / France 3
© Jim Richardson / Echobase
180 skiers rescued from gondola in Les Contamines
Power cut leads to aerial rescue for everyone on board
180 skiers in Les Contamines had to be rescued from the Signal gondola after a power outage caused it to stop yesterday.
People in 80 of the cabins were rescued by helicopter whilst the others were taken out by rescue teams with ropes and harnesses.
The rescue started at around 12:45, with the final people being brought safely back down at around 15:10. No-one was hurt.
The PGHM also rescued 110 passengers from the Panoramic gondola in Chamonix in September last year when the cables became tangled after high winds.
Les Contamines is part of the Evasion Mont Blanc ski area that's included in the MBU ski pass.
Thanks to EchobaseCHX and Philippe Goyet for the photos.
