Most of the victims apparently managed to escape the burning car but were killed by acrid smoke as they tried to flee by running upward on narrow stairs leading out of the tunnel, said Manfred Mueller, the head of cable car technical operations. The few survivors among the 180 people on board apparently ran the opposite way, evading most of the smoke being blown upward by strong drafts pushing through the tunnel.
Today is a day of mourning.
Rescuers were unable to reach the car as the fire raged for hours, sending smoke spewing from the mouth of the tunnel below. The blaze burned the car down to the chassis, firefighters said. Authorities said they still didn't know what caused the fire. All suffered cuts, bruises and the effects of smoke inhalation. One was in serious condition with injuries to the lungs suffered from breathing in noxious fumes.