45 People Left Hanging Overnight In Cable Cars Stuck Over French Alps

45 People Left Hanging Overnight In Cable Cars Stuck Over French Alps An operation to rescue people trapped overnight in a series of cable cars in the French Alps is due to resume. Forty-five tourists spent Thursday night suspended above the glaciers of Mont Blanc at an altitude of about 3,800m (12,468ft). They were among 110 people initially trapped when the cable cars ground to a halt on Thursday afternoon. It is believed that the cars stopped after cables became tangled in high winds. Sixty-five people were evacuated by helicopter late on Thursday but the rescue operation had to be suspended when night fell and clouds hampered visibility. "We were forced to suspend operations for safety reasons," said Georges Francois Leclerc, prefect of the Haute-Savoie department. "We hope to get everyone on Friday morning," he said, adding that it was "a very complex operation". The stranded tourists have been given survival blankets, energy bars and bottles of water. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said first aid workers had spent the night in the cable cars with those trapped. Local officials said the operation would resume at 06:30 local time (04:30 GMT). Mathieu Dechavanne, the head of the cable car company, said it appeared that cables had crossed over "for unexplained reasons" but probably due to strong gusts of wind. French, Italian and Swiss teams are taking part in rescue efforts and they have three helicopters at their disposal. The cable cars connect the Aiguille de Midi peak in France, at 3,842m (12,605ft), to Pointe Helbronner in Italy, at 3,462m (11,358ft) and offer a panoramic view of Mont Blanc. 45 People Are Trapped in Cable Cars Over the French Alps, Officials Say, 45 people left hanging overnight in cable cars stuck over French Alps, 45 people left stranded overnight in cable cars over the French Alps, Mont Blanc Cable Car Passengers Are Stranded Aloft Overnight in French Alps, French Alps cable cars rescue due to resume, Alpine cliffhanger: 33 stranded overnight in scary Mont Blanc cable car drama, Dozens trapped overnight in French Alps cable cars, Alpine cliffhanger: 33 stranded overnight in scary Mont Blanc cable car drama, 45 People Are Trapped in Cable Cars Over the French Alps, Dozens stuck overnight in cable car at Mont Blanc in Alps,Dozens stuck overnight on cable cars in French Alps, 33 Tourists Trapped For The Night In Mont Blanc Cable Cars, Dozens trapped in cable cars suspended over French Alps, 45 people stuck overnight in cable cars at Mont Blanc in French Alps, Dozens of Hapless People Will Spend the Night Stuck in a Cable Car High Above the French Alps, 45 People Stuck Overnight in Cable Cars at Mont Blanc, Dozens stranded overnight on cable cars in French Alps, French Alps cable cars rescue bid resumes, 33 trapped all night in Mont Blanc Cable Car, Dozens stuck overnight on cable cars in French Alps, Dozens trapped after cable car failure over Alps