A train transporting skiers to an Austrian Alpine resort caught fire deep inside a mountain tunnel yesterday, trapping passengers inside and killing about 172 people, the provincial governor said. Many of the dead were children, local media reported.
Quoting the governor of Salzburg, it said eight passengers had escaped the funicular train, which was stuck inside the 3,200m Kitzsteinhorn mountain near Kaprun, southwest of the city of Salzburg.
"[Governor Franz Schausberger] left us in no doubt that very, very many people died -- that apart from the eight people who managed to escape, all are believed to have suffocated," an ORF reporter said from Kaprun, her voice breaking with emotion.
PHOTO: REUTERS
"He is speaking of a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions. He ordered mourning in the province. You can imagine what the atmosphere is like here at the moment."
Asked for the latest news on the number of passengers, she replied: "The assumption is that the train was full. That means there were up to 180 people in it. Apart from the eight who escaped, all are believed to be dead."
The mayor of Kaprun, Norbert Karlsboeck, said the fire had started at around 9am when the train, which was heading up the mountain, had traveled about 600m into the tunnel.
The fire occurred on the opening day of Austria's ski season and local resorts were jam-packed mostly with young skiers.
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