Tourists sit in a gondola cabin going down at the Titlis-Engelberg ski area in Engelberg, central Switzerland, on March 18, 2026, after a gondola cabin detached from its cable and crashed. (Photo by Ennio LEANZA / AFP)
Geneva: One person was killed Wednesday morning when a cable car suddenly detached amid strong winds and plunged down a snowy slope at a Swiss Alpine ski resort, police said.
The dramatic incident happened at the Engelberg ski resort, high up in the Alps in central Switzerland.
Videos from witnesses to the accident published by the Blick and 20Minutes online news sites showed a small cabin that had detached and violently toppled down a snowy slope.
CEO of Titlis Bergbahnen Norbert Patt speaks during a press conference in Engelberg central Switzerland, on March 18, 2026, after a gondola cabin detached from its cable and crashed. Photo by Ennio LEANZA / AFP
"At the time of the accident one person was alone in the gondola. This person sustained fatal injuries," Senad Sakic, with the regional police in Nidwalden canton, told reporters.
He said preliminary information indicated that "a gondola on the Hitlis Express cable car from Engelberg towards Stand crashed shortly after the Trubsee middle station", he said.
The Rega rescue service confirmed to AFP that it had sent a helicopter response crew to the area, without providing more details.
Police would not comment on the cause of the accident, saying this was being investigated.
Media reported that strong winds might have been the cause, with Switzerland's Met Office indicating that winds of up to 93 kilometres (58 miles) an hour had been lashing the area when the accident happened.
