Only 12 people survived the accident at the Alpine ski resort of Kaprun when fire raced through a funicular train, bringing its two crowded carriages to a halt in a tunnel. [citation needed], A Chataprunnin (derived from Celtic for "whitewater") settlement in the Duchy of Bavaria was first mentioned in a 931 deed, documented as a possession held by the Counts of Falkenstein in 1166. Heading out the door? In September 2007, the public prosecutor's office found that the manufacturer of the electric heater was not responsible. EU, a tax-free tourist car lease can be cheaper than renting for visits of Even without the heat the fumes were absolutely terrible. In 2022, the Heidelberger Bergbahn will On November 11, 2000, over 100 skiers were riding a cable car funicular train in Kaprun, Austria, excited for a day traversing the Alps. Most of the victims were skiers on their way to the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier. The victims were skiers on their way to the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier. Paul C. Miclea, Wan Ki Chow, Shen Wen Chien, Junmei Li, Ahmed H. Kashef, Kang Kai, Research output: Journal article publication Journal article Academic research peer-review. the camera looking downhill from the Schloss station toward Kornmarkt. parts. disclosures, audience |. Of course tunnel fire safety had been studied for a long time before these fires, so that 18, there's no upper age limit, and rates include insurance. Whatever the cause, the flames and smoke raced up through the tunnel with such speed and force that three people waiting at a station on the mountain were also killed by the fumes, as was the driver of an empty train travelling downhill. There were 12 survivors. The passengers attempted to break the tough acrylic glass in an effort to escape. Medical and psychiatric personnel have been providing support for the rescue workers due to the macabre scene. The tunnel and the funicular railway have remained closed since then. On 11 November 2000, 161 passengers and one conductor boarded the funicular train for an early morning trip to the slopes. The train conductor then lost contact with the control centre because the fire burned through a power cable running the length of the track, causing a total blackout. Kaprun disaster - Wikipedia Tony Blair was told that British skiers were believed to be among the dead when he phoned Wolfgang Schossel, the Austrian chancellor, to offer his condolences, Downing Street said. N2 - The catastrophic consequences of the tunnel fires (e.g., the Mont Blanc tunnel, 1999, the Austrian Kaprun funicular tunnel, 2000, and the Swiss St. Gotthard tunnel, 2001) not only resulted in loss of life, severe property damages, but also left the public with a lack of confidence in using such systems. [citation needed]. The visitors centre gives guided tours of the area. On 19 February 2004, Judge Manfred Seiss acquitted all 16 suspects. The sustainability of existing tunnels, given the increased road traffic and changed vehicle mix, or the new rolling stocks, needs innovative design practices. Testing skis and winter gear is hard work (just ask our boot testers)but someone's gotta do it. Heidelberger Bergbahn Fire safety in rail and road tunnels is challenging because of the specific features of the tunnel environment. The catastrophic consequences of the tunnel fires (e.g., the Mont Blanc tunnel, 1999, the Austrian Kaprun funicular tunnel, 2000, and the Swiss St. Gotthard tunnel, 2001) not only resulted in loss of life, severe property damages, but also left the public with a lack of confidence in using such systems. For example, reliable and early fire detection in tunnels can provide the tunnel operator with early warnings of fire and its location, allowing for timely activation of the emergency response such as the emergency ventilation system. All suspects including company officials, technicians and government inspectors were cleared of criminal negligence. The new funicular opened in 2005, making it both the oldest June 18, 2002 Posted: 6:15 AM EDT (1015 GMT) The Kaprun funicular rail blaze clamed the lives of 155 people from around the world. Six more deaths occurred indirectly. Tunnel safety can only be improved if the lessons of past incidents are learned properly. Understand [] Kaprun III, with 113.6 m the tallest aerial tramway support pillar in the world. Miclea, Paul C. ; Chow, Wan Ki ; Chien, Shen Wen et al. Unfortunately, most of them would never make it. Terms of Use and Privacy Statement, CIVIL ENGINEERING (PROCEEDINGS OF THE ICE). By continuing you agree to the use of cookies, PolyU Scholars Hub data protection policy. Kaprun, AustriaGletscherbahnen Kaprun AG will get back the only car which remained intact after the November 11th, 2000 tragedy.The "Kitzsteingams" car was destroyed by the fire into the tunnel. 0:00 / 10:31 #tunnel #kaprun #fire The disaster of the Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2 funicular - fire in the tunnel #8 (ENG) Tragicus Disaster Tragicus Disaster 55 subscribers Subscribe 0 No. Manfred Muller, the railway's security director, said: "We never thought it was possible that a fire could break out." time is 2 minutes from the Kornmarkt to the Schloss, On 11 November 2000, 161 passengers and one conductor boarded the funicular train for an early morning trip to the slopes. after changing to the vintage funicular at Molkenkur. Road access to the tunnel was blocked by police, with even friends and relatives unable to gain access to the scene. Speaking on Austrian radio, one of the survivors described smoke pouring through the carriages. No smoke detectors existed on board. 4 Slovenians publisher = "Amer. The onboard electric power, hydraulic braking systems, and fan heaters intended for use in homes instead of trains increased the likelihood of fire.[2]. Salvage workers and police continue to work steadily to identify victims and to discover the cause of the catastrophe. Built with Bucyrus equipment and massive help from the Marshall Plan European Recovery Program, the power plant became an icon of post-war reconstruction. Bergbahn. Capt Harald Hofmann of the Salzburg police, said: "We will only be able to identify them from rings, X-rays and dental work.". For many, the funicular was until yesterday part of the area's attraction. The unit had its fire extinguishers out of the passengers reach in the sealed attendant compartments. Austria ski tunnel fire case opens. The disaster killed 155 people. Conditions yesterday appear to have been every bit as extreme as in the Mont Blanc road tunnel where 45 people died in March 1999 in the last big tunnel fire in mainland Europe. On November 11, 2000, over 100 skiers were riding a cable car funicular train in Kaprun, Austria, excited for a day traversing the Alps. stop along the way. Heidelberg Funicular (Heidelberger Bergbahn) | Germany for Visitors Absolutely heartbreaking. There was no cellphone reception within the tunnels, which meant that passengers had no method of contacting the attendant. Kaprun disaster | Detailed Pedia The 17-member Macedonian group was fatigued from their 24-hour journey to Austria and decided to rest instead of taking the funicular to Kitzsteinhorn. The extinguishers were in a sealed attendant's cabin, and those inside had no way of contacting the attendant. Each funicular unit had its fire extinguishers out of the passengers' reach in the sealed attendants' compartments. 1 Briton The victims of the disaster included:[2], 92 Austrians Germany > As the train climbed the glacier in the early morning, the tragedy beganwhen a heater caught fire in the rear conductor's cabin. . 10 Japanese Initial reports indicate that the train slammed to a halt when a cable snapped, prompting speculation that the friction of the wires rubbing against the carriages started the fire. The Kaprun disaster was a fire that occurred in an ascending train in the tunnel of the Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2 funicular in Kaprun, Austria, on 11 November 2000.The disaster killed 155 people (150 on the ascending train, two on the descending train and three in the mountain station). Planning was discontinued during the Great Depression and was not resumed until the Austrian Anschluss to Nazi Germany in 1938. It could carry up to 180 passengers. The carriages each had a maximum capacity of 180 passengers. By Philip Sherwell, Michael Leidig in Vienna, Julian Coman in Kaprun, Jenny Booth and Daniel Foggo, Jewish leaders want to meet Guardian editor over anti-Semitic Richard Sharp cartoon, Islamic State leader killed in Syria by Turkish intelligence services, says president, The Kings Coronation could herald a beautiful bloom of wildflowers, Duke of Sussex waxwork reunited with royals at Madame Tussauds, Watch: Mark Selby claims first ever 147 in World Snooker Championship final, Manchester United fans demand complete removal of Glazers. Prior to the passenger train leaving the lower terminus shortly after 9:00 am, the electric fan heater in the unattended cabin at the lower end of the train caught fire, due to a design fault that caused the unit to overheat. Fire safety in rail and road tunnels is challenging because of the specific features of the tunnel environment. Another cause may have been a short circuit in a battery that provides lighting and power for the train or a fire started accidentally by a passenger. The train involved in the disaster caught fire shortly after leaving the valley station and entered the tunnel where it came to a halt 600 metres from the lower end. The passengers had no method of contacting the attendant. Among those killed were at least eight members of the German Ski Association and 29 other Germans, 92 Austrians, 10 Japanese, 8 Americans, 4 Slovenes, 2 Dutch, one person from the Czech Republic, and one person from Great Britain. Six more deaths occurred indirectly. Kaprun disaster | Detailed Pedia For Copyright 1996-2023 Durant and Cheryl "Best of the Web" Austrian police said that most of the victims had been burnt to ashes by a fire so ferocious that it destroyed everything but the train's chassis. The terrible fire on the Kaprun funicular railway has exposed a criminal lack of safety procedures. Forty young ski enthusiasts from Slovenia had the most fortunate escape when they missed the train because one of their group was in the lavatory. Klaus Eisenkolb, a cable car technical expert who was involved in the planning for the line, said: "There is nothing inside the tunnel which could have caused the fire as everything inside was constructed from steel and all electrical cables are covered in fireproof material. This melted through the pipes that carried the hydraulic fluid, which was not only flammable but necessary for braking and other functions of the funicular. The catastrophic consequences of the tunnel fires (e.g., the Mont Blanc tunnel, 1999, the Austrian Kaprun funicular tunnel, 2000, and the Swiss St. Gotthard tunnel, 2001) not only resulted in loss of life, severe property damages, but also left the public with a lack of confidence in using such systems. Forensic technicians refuse to give information about the substance other than it is being chemically analyzed and appears similar in consistency to a lubricant. the Heidelberger Bergbahn's tunnel and subterranean funicular were closed and completely rebuilt after the Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2 funicular fire in Austria killed 155 people on November 11, 2000. The tragedy occurred Monday, when the Kitzsteinhorn-bound funicular burst into flames in a tunnel, trapping nearly all of its passengers. Kitzsteinhorn - Wikipedia Eventually, the conductor was able to unlock the doors, allowing them to be manually forced open by the remaining conscious passengers who spilled out into the tunnel and fled upwards and away from the fire. The lowest section, running from Kapruner Thoerl up to the Salzburg Hut, is 2028 metres long and climbs 970 metres in altitude. The tunnel terminated at the main reception centre, called the Alpine Centre. Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. The young woman - who was not named - said: "There was no hope for those who are left behind in the tunnel. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. Asked about possible British casualties, Major Richard Schieder of the Austrian police said: "The problem is the people on board were very badly burnt so identification is going to be very difficult. By evening, several hours after the blaze ended, plumes of smoke were still spewing from the tunnel entrance, as firemen wearing breathing gear worked their way down the tunnel. This paper looks at some of the lessons learned from the Kaprun funicular tunnel fire of 2000; the King's Cross underground station fire of 1987; the Baku subway fire of 1995 and the Channel Tunnel fire of 1996. REUTERS/Calle Toernstroem REUTERS AX/FMS RF 2HK1C06 - The town of Zell am See in the Zell am See-Kaprun region, Austrian Alps, Salcburger land Lessons learned from catastrophic fires in tunnels Kaprun, Austria, Nov. 15, 2000-The final death toll is 155 people in what can be pronounced history's worst cable car accident. 5 minutes to Molkenkur, and another 9 minutes to Knigstuhl in early December. Contact information, I only managed to save myself in the last few seconds because a window had been kicked in and I could fight my way outside.". For example, reliable and early fire detection in tunnels can provide the tunnel operator with early warnings of fire and its location, allowing for timely activation of the emergency response such as the emergency ventilation system. "Kaprun-Katastrophe: Ex-Anklgerin bricht das Schweigen nach Urteil", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kaprun_disaster&oldid=1147980225, Railway accidents and incidents in Austria, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 3 April 2023, at 09:55. The Mooserboden hydroelectric plant uses water from two reservoirs held back by some of Austria's largest dam walls. - Forbes and The Washington Post. Eleven passengers from the rear of the train who successfully broke a window followed the advice of another escaped passenger who had been a volunteer fire fighter for 20 years, and travelled downward past the fire and below the smoke. The conductor and the sole passenger on the railways second train, which was descending the mountain in the same tunnel from above the burning carriage, also died of smoke inhalation. Today the summit can be easily reached using the Glacier Aerial Tramway from the valley station at 911 m (2,989 ft), including the highest cable car pylon in the world, being 113.6 m (373 ft) tall with a diameter of 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in). Tauern Spa World was completed in November 2010 and is the second largest spa complex in Austria. The second section, to the Krefeld Hut, climbs 554 metres. By Philip Sherwell, Michael Leidig in Vienna, Julian Coman in Kaprun, Jenny Booth and Daniel Foggo 12 November 2000 12:00am. After the passenger train ascended into the tunnel shortly after 9:00am, the electric heater in the unattended conductors cabin at the lower end of the train caught fire, due to a design fault. Dive into the research topics of 'International tunnel fire-safety design practices'. 39 Kaprun Disaster Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 39 Kaprun Disaster Premium High Res Photos Browse 39 kaprun disaster photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. Professor Joseph Nejez, a funicular train expert, said that the designers throughout the years had a perception that a fire could not occur since no fire had occurred in a funicular cabin prior to the Kaprun disaster. celebrate its 120th year of providing service between the Kornmarkt, in Heidelberg's Altstadt, and the Knigstuhl, All but three of the victims were discovered inside the tunnel. Authorities have yet to discover the cause of the explosion. For the Indigenous Australian ethnic group, see, "Dauersiedlungsraum der Gemeinden Politischen Bezirke und Bundeslnder - Gebietsstand 1.1.2018", "Einwohnerzahl 1.1.2018 nach Gemeinden mit Status, Gebietsstand 1.1.2018", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kaprun&oldid=1118811962, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 29 October 2022, at 01:52. Kaprun - Travel guide at Wikivoyage 170 perish in Alpine tunnel inferno. Residents and holidaymakers arrived in stunned silence at the village's Roman Catholic Church last night for a Mass, the first of many services to be held across the country after two days of national mourning were declared. Kaprun Archives - Funimag photoblog Kornmarkt to the Schloss or castle, is even older: It opened for business Inc.", Miclea, PC, Chow, WK, Chien, SW, Li, J, Kashef, AH & Kai, K 2007, '. Kaprun disaster hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy They tried to tear open the closed doors and to smash the windows. CNN.com - Austria ski tunnel fire case opens - June 18, 2002 The victims were skiers on their way to the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier. Heating, Ref. The smoke kept ascending the tunnel, reaching the Alpine Centre located at the top end of the track 2,500 metres away. 170 perish in Alpine tunnel inferno - The Telegraph It is a two-hour transfer to resort from Salzburg Airport. Download the app. All I wanted to do was to get out. The fire raged for days as rescuers tried to save survivors, but in the end only 12 survived, with 155 dead in Austria's deadliest tragedy since World War II. In this section I will briefly explain the events that are known as the Kaprun disaster. The smoke killed the attendant and the only passenger in the other identical train. Today, the completely renovated Kaprun's cutting-edge mountain transportation technology has been overshadowed by the Kaprun Disaster since 2000, when a funicular train caught fire inside the Kitzsteinhorn in the middle of the 3.3-km-long tunnel. VIENNA, Austria -- Sixteen . Others died in the control center as the smoke was funneled toward them. or "King's Chair," with its spectacular views and activities such as the Kaprun (German pronunciation: [kaprun]) is a municipality in the Zell am See District in the state of Salzburg, Austria. Getting married? Located at the foot of the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, Kaprun is a year-round sports centre. If the steel cable was torn, as has been reported, the cable itself would run downhill and if it ran fast enough the friction could be the cause of the fire.". It is located in the Pinzgau region on the northern slopes of the Alpine Glockner Group with Mt. Twelve people from the rear of the train, who successfully broke a window with a ski pole, followed the advice of another escapee who had been a volunteer fire fighter for 20 years, and escaped downwards past the fire and below the smoke. The town is a tourist destination known as "Zell am See-Kaprun" with the neighbouring Zell am See and known for the glacier Kitzsteinhorn. The Kaprun disaster was a fire that occurred in an ascending railway car in the tunnel of the Gletscherbahn 2 railway in Kaprun, Austria, on 11 November 2000. They were desperately trying to find a way out. The undamaged "Gletscherdrachen" car was confiscated by the Salzburg authorities for the investigations and will be brought back to the operators of Kaprun skiing area. Kaprun Disaster - rail system The disaster claimed the lives of 155 people, leaving 12 survivors (10 Germans, 2 Austrians) from the burning car. This railway had the unusual track gauge of 946 millimeters, and a length of 3900 meters, of which 3300 meters was through a tunnel. Everyone else aboard perished in the darkness after the blaze erupted at 9.30am near Kaprun, 9,000ft above sea level. The tunnel was turned into a furnace in which temperatures were estimated to have reached 1,000C. Unfortunately, most of them would never make it. Nearly one year after the fire, the official inquiry determined that the cause was the failure, overheating and ignition of one of the fan heaters installed in the conductor's compartments that were not designed for use in a moving vehicle. The tunnel terminated at the main reception centre, called the Alpincenter, where a motorized winch system pulled the wagons. Heidelberg > Funicular. 2 Dutch 155 skiers and staff perished in the flames and smoke, and the tunnel has remained . There was disbelief when it emerged last night that there was no fire-fighting equipment in the tunnel or on the train. A new transport system was eventually built, and the train never reopened, only leaving behind a sealed tunnel and a grim legacy. Kaprun (German pronunciation: ) is . This nighttime picture of the funicular tunnel was taken with Following the spate of tunnel fires which occurred in Europe at the turn of the century, the safety of European tunnels was assessed and found to be generally poor. The Kitzsteinhorn glacier railway has operated since 1974 and was the world's first Alpine underground railway. In 1993, it was modernized. Meanwhile, the centre was filled with smoke and all except four people escaped the centre. The passengers, by this stage aware of the fire and unable to exit through the doors, attempted to smash the break-resistant acrylic glass windows in order to escape. The Truth About The Deadly Kaprun Railway Disaster - Grunge Poisonous. All Rights Reserved. Welcome to Unofficial Networks's European Union Experience. The 2007 fire in the Burnley tunnel in Australia is highlighted as an example of an incident where technology prevented the initial fire growing into a catastrophe. Many of the still-trapped occupants had by now lost consciousness due to toxic fumes. There were terrible scenes in the cabin I was in, which suddenly filled with smoke. Instead, down the valley in Kaprun, they gathered in a sports hall to wait for lists to be produced of who was believed to have been on the slopes or in hotels and hostels - and who was missing.The local authorities will post the names of people who returned safely from Kitzsteinhorn on the internet after taking the names of 2,500 skiers during the day. The funicular was never reopened after the disaster and was replaced by a gondola lift, a 24-person Gletscherjet 1 funitel. The conductor managed to get the doors open, but those who had not already passed out traveled up the mountain toward the control center, where they lost consciousness. Fatal tunnel sealed entrance - Wikimapia No smoke detectors were installed. One national ski team scarcely avoided tragedy. The train conductor, who was in the cabin at the upper end of the train (which was the front, since the train was ascending), realised a fire had broken out, reported it to the control centre, and attempted to open the hydraulically operated train doors, but the system pressure loss prevented them from operating. The victims were also thought to include two Americans from a ski club at a US military base in Germany. It was first climbed in 1828 by local mountaineer Johann Entacher. An automatic safety feature triggered, which brought the train to a halt, and the conductor realized a fire had broken out. There were 12 survivors from the burning ascending train. The majority of those in the train were Austrians and Germans, but Americans and Japanese also lost their lives in the flames. The Kaprun disaster refers to the fire that occurred on November 11th 2000 in the tunnel of the Gletscherbahn (glacier train in German) Kaprun 2 funicular (cable railway) in Kaprun, Austria, not far from Salzburg. that travel in opposite directions and pass each other at the midpoint of their On 11 November 2000, it was the site of the Kaprun disaster, in which 149 skiers lost their lives in a tunnel fire. They called the blaze an "unbelievable tragedy", adding that "we and the whole village are in mourning". We expect to find a lot of ashes. Kaprun disaster - Wikiwand The train complied with area safety codes, which did not address the systems installed on the train during its 1993 upgrade. The cable car caught fire in a mountain tunnel, making it difficult to access for rescuers and for those trapped inside to escape (via UPI ). Dear friends,in this video I will tell you about the tragic story of the Kaprun funicular.Where a total of 155 people lost their lives due to a fire that broke out inside the tunnel that took them to the ski slopes. .I am going to tell you about the tragedy of Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2.#kaprundisaster #disaster #kaprun #fire #funicular #tunnel Please, for any questions write directly: tragicusdisaster@gmail.comCredits:Austria's Kaprun railway disaster reveals lack of safety measuresRichard Tylerhttps://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2000/11/aust-n16.html--------------------Kaprun TragedyReconstruction of the eventsby Elmar Berktoldhttps://www.funimag.com/funimag18/Funimag-Kaprun01.htm--------------------Chronology of the Kaprun TragedyDW Staff (pj)https://www.dw.com/en/chronology-of-the-kaprun-tragedy/a-1118765--------------------Caught in the Dark: The 2000 Kaprun Glacier Railway Fire Max Shttps://mx-schroeder.medium.com/caught-in-the-dark-the-2000-kaprun-glacier-railway-fire-b4ff46a7175--------------------Book:155 La copertura di Kaprun, di Hubertus Godeysen e Hannes Uhlhttps://155.at/en/about-the-book/https://155.at/en/--------------------Kaprun Disasterrailsystem.nethttps://railsystem.net/kaprun-disaster/--------------------Kaprun disasterhttps://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Kaprun+disaster--------------------Alpine inferno suspects acquittedhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040515144328/http:/www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/02/19/austria.verdict/--------------------Flashback: Kaprun ski train firehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3502265.stmhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaprun_disasterhttps://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disastro_di_Kaprunhttps://dbpedia.org/page/Kaprun_disaster--------------------https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kaprun_gletscherbahn_2.jpg CC BY-SA 4.0https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaprun_disaster#/media/File:Kaprun_Memorial_Inside_View.jpg CC BY-SA 4.0Credit: Public Domainhttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipediCredit: Kruppyhttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi (CC BY-SA 3.0)Credit: Salburger Nackerlhttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipediCredit: Michael Gorskihttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi (CC BY-SA 3.0)