Vienna, 9 January 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Four skiers from Denmark were severely injured, including one in critical condition, when a gondola fell from a cable car system in the Austrian town of Ötz on Tuesday, police and the operator said.

A tree had apparently fallen onto the Acherkogelbahn and police say the branches may have hit the exact spot where the gondola was attached to the cable. However, a detailed investigation is still under way.

"The route is free of trees in accordance with regulations," a spokesman for the cable car company said.

A German couple aged 58 and 62, who were in the gondola in front of the one that fell, also came forward to say they are injured and in shock.

The critically injured skier was flown to hospital in Innsbruck, the spokesman added.

The police said the four skiers were part of the same family. The seriously injured man is 49. His 46-year-brother was also hurt along side his 19-year-old daughter and 20-year-old son.

The gondola fell into the snow from a height of around 7 metres. The cable car, which is almost 3 kilometres long, transports skiers from the valley to around 2,000 metres above sea level.

According to the company spokesman, the cable car was operating at full capacity due to sunny weather when the accident happened.

All other skiers were able to leave the gondolas safely at the valley or mountain station, a police spokeswoman said in Innsbruck.

"The gondolas were emptied and operations were then suspended," she said.

Rescuing the victims proved difficult. The accident site was in rough terrain. Foot patrols and helicopters were deployed, according to the cable car spokesman.

Photo: MIA archive