Welcome to Unofficial Networks's European Union Experience. The intensity of the fire required the bodies to be identified with DNA samples, which forensic experts are now collecting. in early December. stop along the way. 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). Most of the victims were skiers on their way to the Kitzsteinhorn Glaciers. The Austrian Nobel Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek incorporated the disaster in her 2003 play In den Alpen (In the alps). So many young people, who were here to take part in today's snow-boarding event, have lost their lives and I share in the grief of the relatives of the victims." Europe > 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). 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. This railway had the unusual track gauge of 946 millimetres (3.104 feet), and a length of 3.9 kilometres (2.4 miles), of which 3.3 kilometres (2.1 miles) was through a tunnel. 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) In the late 1920s the German AEG company and the Salzburg state government developed plans for a Hohe Tauern hydroelectricity power plant, including two reservoirs in the Kaprun Valley. On 19 February 2004, Judge Manfred Seiss acquitted all 16 suspects, including company officials, technicians, and government inspectors, clearing them of criminal negligence. The track and supporting structure below the tunnel has now been completely removed, with just a gap in the trees to indicate where it stood. Capt Harald Hofmann of the Salzburg police, said: "We will only be able to identify them from rings, X-rays and dental work.". A slow leak of highly flammable hydraulic oil was ignited by the burning, melting heater, which in turn melted the plastic fluid lines, further feeding the flames and also resulting in the hydraulic pressure loss which caused the train to stop and the doors to fail. 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. Tunnel safety can only be improved if the lessons of past incidents are learned properly. more information on riding the funicular or taking your vows on the trip up, Together they form a unique fingerprint. 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). The lowest section, running from Kapruner Thoerl up to the Salzburg Hut, is 2028 metres long and climbs 970 metres in altitude. and most modern of Germany's funicular systems. 5 minutes to Molkenkur, and another 9 minutes to Knigstuhl [4], One of the victims was Sandra Schmitt, a 19-year-old German freestyle skier who at the time was the reigning Women's Dual Moguls World Champion. The ignition was caused when a design fault caused the unit to overheat, which in turn caused the plastic mount for the heating element to break off, causing the element to jam against its plastic casing and catch fire. Gletscherbahn 2 was a funicular railway with two carriages running from Kaprun to the Kitzsteinhorn which opened on 23 March 1974. 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. Fire safety in rail and road tunnels is challenging because of the specific features of the tunnel environment. The passengers attempted to break the tough acrylic glass in an effort to escape. The disaster claimed the lives of 155 people, leaving 12 survivors (10 Germans, 2 Austrians) from the burning car. The death toll now stands at 158. Heidelberger Bergbahn /. The sustainability of existing tunnels, given the increased road traffic and changed vehicle mix, or the new rolling stocks, needs innovative design practices. Inc.", Miclea, PC, Chow, WK, Chien, SW, Li, J, Kashef, AH & Kai, K 2007, '. There were no engines, fuel tanks, or drivers, only low-voltage electrical systems, 160-litre hydraulic tanks (used for the brake system) and an attendant who operated the hydraulic doors. Contact information, The train The train, called the Gletscherbahn 2, was carrying passengers up to the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, according to Railsystem. MORE than 170 skiers and snowboarders, many of them children, choked and burnt to death yesterday when fire swept through a packed funicular train trapped inside a mountainside tunnel in the Austrian Alps. Miclea PC, Chow WK, Chien SW, Li J, Kashef AH, Kai K. International tunnel fire-safety design practices. There were 12 survivors. Chaprunne Castle was acquired by the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg in 1287 and enfeoffed to the Lords of Felben in 1338. 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 majority of those in the train were Austrians and Germans, but Americans and Japanese also lost their lives in the flames. The second section, to the Krefeld Hut, climbs 554 metres. 2 Dutch Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Here is the full 44 "Fire on the Ski Slope" documentary television episode of "Seconds from Disaster", a documentary television series on National Geographic Channel. Forensic technicians refuse to give information about the substance other than it is being chemically analyzed and appears similar in consistency to a lubricant. 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. . 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. Road access to the tunnel was blocked by police, with even friends and relatives unable to gain access to the scene. The Kitzsteinhorn glacier railway has operated since 1974 and was the world's first Alpine underground railway. Download the app. [6][7], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}471332.26N 124314.67E / 47.2256278N 12.7207417E / 47.2256278; 12.7207417. This railway had the unusual track gauge of 946 millimeters, and a length of 3900 meters, of which 3300 meters was through a tunnel. The US military in Germany said that two ski clubs from the Kaiserslautern military community were believed to have been in the Kaprun area yesterday. 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. They turned and ran for their lives." 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. Today, the completely renovated On 19 February 2004, Judge Manfred Seiss acquitted all 16 suspects. It was impossible to breathe." Kornmarkt to the Schloss or castle, is even older: It opened for business author = "Miclea, {Paul C.} and Chow, {Wan Ki} and Chien, {Shen Wen} and Junmei Li and Kashef, {Ahmed H.} and Kang Kai". The carriages each had a maximum capacity of 180 passengers. In 1993, it was modernized. Judge Seiss said there was insufficient evidence to find the suspects responsible for the conditions that led to the blaze. Experts from the Austrian infrastructure ministry arrived at the scene to start their investigation, but officials said there were no plans to close the country's other underground funiculars. The young woman - who was not named - said: "There was no hope for those who are left behind in the tunnel. You can exchange wedding vows on the historic Knigstuhl section of the Heidelberger Bergbahn. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. Mr Muller, the security director, denied reports that fire doors at the top and bottom of the tunnel were not closed, as they should have been. 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.". The tragedy occurred Monday, when the Kitzsteinhorn-bound funicular burst into flames in a tunnel, trapping nearly all of its passengers. Speaking on Austrian radio, one of the survivors described smoke pouring through the carriages. Poisonous. Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2 funicular fire in Austria killed 155 people on The stations were abandoned and the tunnel sealed, and it remains unused today. They called the blaze an "unbelievable tragedy", adding that "we and the whole village are in mourning". The Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2 was a funicular railway running from Kaprun to the Kitzsteinhorn, which opened in 1974. 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. 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. The track cuts through a cliff and ridges as it heads up to the ski slopes. [1] Several minutes later, the train conductor, who was in the cabin at the upper end of the train (which was the front, since the train was ascending), realized that a fire had broken out, reported it to the control centre, and attempted to open the hydraulically operated doors, but the system pressure loss prevented them from operating. The disaster killed 155 people. 1 Czech. A memorial to the victims, located opposite the present valley station, was dedicated on 11 November, 2004. Heading out the door? 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.". The Kapruner Ache creek joins the Salzach River south of the settlement. This section includes the world's tallest aerial lift pylon, a steel framework construction 113.9 metres (originally 106 meters) high. All Rights Reserved. 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 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.". Kaprun (German pronunciation: ) is . No smoke detectors were installed. Located at the foot of the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, Kaprun is a year-round sports centre. The tragedy occurred Monday, when the Kitzsteinhorn-bound funicular burst into flames in a tunnel, trapping nearly all of its passengers. Getting married? Commanded by Hermann Gring, construction began during World War II using prisoners of war from Belgium and other occupied countries and Jewish and Soviet forced labourers. Firefighters reached the centre and saved one of the four, while the other three were asphyxiated.[1]. Terms of Use and Privacy Statement, CIVIL ENGINEERING (PROCEEDINGS OF THE ICE). The disaster killed 155 people (150 on the ascending train, two on the descending train and three in the mountain station). "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. Built with Bucyrus equipment and massive help from the Marshall Plan European Recovery Program, the power plant became an icon of post-war reconstruction. In the early 20th century the castle was a possession of Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein, who sold it in 1921. completely rebuilt after the The tunnel and the funicular railway have . The sustainability of existing tunnels, given the increased road traffic and changed vehicle mix, or the new rolling stocks, needs innovative design practices. Unofficial From The Web Climbing The train ascended and descended the route at 25km/h (16mph), angled at 30 degrees. 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. The funicular runs daily The Kaprun disasterwas a fire that occurred in an ascending train in the tunnel of the Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2 funicularin Kaprun, Austria, on 11 November 2000. The Kaprun disasterwas a fire that occurred in an ascending train in the tunnel of the Gletscherbahn Kaprun2 funicular in Kaprun, Austria, on 11 November 2000. 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. This pillar was built in 1966 and has of a pipe of 2.2 metres (7.2 feet) diameter in the center, in which a ladder and a maintenance elevator are installed. They were unable to escape the inferno and toxic fumes of the exploding cable car. There were 12 survivors (10 Germans and two Austrians) from the burning ascending train. The reservoir area has become a tourist attraction, with views over the towns of Kaprun and Zell am See. The train conductor then lost contact with the control centre, because the fire had burned through a 16kV power cable running alongside the length of the track, causing a total blackout throughout the ski resort. Kaprun, Austria, Nov. 15, 2000-The final death toll is 155 people in what can be pronounced history's worst cable car accident. 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. Manfred Muller, the railway's security director, said: "We never thought it was possible that a fire could break out." that travel in opposite directions and pass each other at the midpoint of their publisher = "Amer. 1.2. Most of the victims were skiers on their way to the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier. Authorities had no nationalities for the four remaining victims. Dive into the research topics of 'International tunnel fire-safety design practices'. The disaster killed 155 people (150 on the ascending train, two on the descending train and three in the mountain station). The victims were also thought to include two Americans from a ski club at a US military base in Germany. British holidaymakers were believed to be among the victims on the cable railway to the popular Kitzsteinhorn glacier. A modern funicular car arrives in the lower station of the An avalanche killed 12 people last March south of Salzburg, in the same region. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Fire safety in rail and road tunnels is challenging because of the specific features of the tunnel environment. 1 Briton [5] Josef Schaupper, a seven-time Deaflympic medalist was also killed in the fatal accident along with his fellow deaf skiers. Only eight of the estimated 180 passengers are thought to have escaped the carnage after breaking the window of the rear carriage and scrambling to safety. Six more deaths occurred indirectly. 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 conductor and the sole passenger on the railway's second train, which was descending the mountain in the same tunnel from above the burning carriage, also died of smoke inhalation. . The inhumane conditions were depicted by Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek in her 2003 play Das Werk. Mrchenparadies (a fairy-tale park The attendant in the burning train died with the 149 skiers. Others died in the control center as the smoke was funneled toward them. There were two carriages running simultaneously on a single track, with a section allowing them to pass each other halfway. The unit had its fire extinguishers out of the passengers reach in the sealed attendant compartments. The total length of the system is just over 1.5 km. Survivors described horrifying scenes as people trapped inside the train screamed with terror before the choking fumes silenced them. Today, the completely renovated funicular consists of two parts: . All the passengers ascending on foot, as well as the train conductor, were asphyxiated by the smoke and then burned by the fire. 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. November 11, 2000. The tunnel acted like a giant blast furnace, sucking oxygen in from the bottom and rapidly sent the poisonous smoke, heat and the fire itself billowing upwards. From his hospital bed he said: "It was pure panic. 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. Members get 15+ publications right in your pocket. Kaprun (German pronunciation: [kaprun]) is a municipality in the Zell am See District in the state of Salzburg, Austria. They left the exit doors open, a factor which increased the chimney effect within the tunnel, by allowing air to escape upwards more quickly and further intensifying the fire. In this section I will briefly explain the events that are known as the Kaprun disaster. The other three were found at a station stop at the top of 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. Everyone else aboard perished in the darkness after the blaze erupted at 9.30am near Kaprun, 9,000ft above sea level. 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. On 11 November 2000, 161 passengers and one conductor boarded the funicular train for an early morning trip to the slopes. There were 12 survivors from the burning ascending train. Absolutely heartbreaking. No smoke detectors existed on board. The fire melted through plastic pipes carrying flammable hydraulic fluid from the brake system, resulting in the loss of fluid pressure which caused the train to halt unexpectedly 600 metres into the tunnel (this was a standard safety feature).