On Saturday morning, the cable car, which can transport as many as 180 people, wormed its way through the tunnel that pierces the Kitzsteinhorn mountain. Skiers and snow boarders, many of them teenagers and younger children, were traveling to the snow-dusted glacier for a morning of skiing. But as the cable car moved through the mountain, fire broke out, transforming the tunnel into a chimney of fierce smoke and flames. The Austrian government declared a state of mourning, and in Vienna, the capital, dignitaries including the Austrian president, Thomas Klestil, joined thousands of people at a service in the city's cathedral. Public buildings, including the Vienna State Opera, were draped in black, and flags flew at half staff.
Consolation can come only from our faith and our church.
The accident has sent Austrians into a frenzy of soul-searching. The Alpine region lives increasingly on tourism revenue, and the question of just how safe its winter sport facilities are has been cast into stark relief. But he said experts would search to find out what more should be done. The Kaprun cable car, he said, would not be put back into service until the cause of the accident had been determined and corrective steps taken. The accident is certain to fuel discussion of the safety of Alpine tunnels in general.