Several skiers had to be rescued by helicopter on Christmas Eve at two different resorts in the French Alps after chairlift malfunctions left them stranded. Dramatic footage captured the situation at the SuperDevoluy resort in Dévoluy, showing skiers suspended beneath a helicopter near an immobile chairlift. One of the chairlifts at the resort ceased operation around 1 p.m. local time on Tuesday due to an electrical issue with one of its motors, as per Nouvelle Republique.
Approximately 240 skiers were successfully evacuated from the malfunctioning lift by around 5 p.m. local time at the resort situated in France’s Southern Alps, where elevations span from 6,000 to 8,200 feet above sea level. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, according to Le Monde.
Meanwhile, in Savoie, another region in the French Alps, around 100 skiers found themselves stranded on a lift at the La Norma ski resort on Tuesday in a separate incident, as reported by TF1. The resort, located in the Maurienne Valley, reaches elevations ranging from 4,500 to nearly 9,000 feet.
These rescue operations unfolded just a day following the tragic death of 26-year-old Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger at a resort in the Swiss Alps. Hediger, a member of Switzerland’s snowboard cross team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, lost her life in an avalanche at the Arosa resort, the country’s ski federation confirmed on Tuesday.
In other news, the FDA has issued the highest-level recall for Costco eggs due to a salmonella risk. Additionally, a passenger airliner has crashed in Kazakhstan, and massive waves have torn through the Santa Cruz wharf, causing debris to be swept into the ocean.
