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Tourists evacuated from Swiss mountain top

titlis cable car gondola
Originally built in 1992 and later upgraded, the cable car from Stand to the Titlis mountain transports up to 3,000 passengers every day. Keystone

More than 130 people have been rescued by helicopter from the Titlis, a popular mountain top in the Swiss Alps, after a technical problem with a cable car.

Regular transport routes had to be suspended on Tuesday after a so-called diversion wheel overheated, according to the cable car operators.

More repair work is needed to restore public transport to the 3,020-metre mountain near the resort of Engelberg by Thursday.

The Titlis mountainExternal link is the site of the world’s first rotating cable car. It is visited by up to 3,000 people daily. Engelberg and the Titlis are popular destinations for international tourists, notably from India.

Officials said no passengers had to be evacuated from the gondolas as they were docked in the stations when the accident occurred.

The transport company is expected to incur financial damages of up to CHF200,000 ($200,000) as a result.

On average the cable car is closed five days annually due to strong winds.

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