The sustainability of existing tunnels, given the increased road traffic and changed vehicle mix, or the new rolling stocks, needs innovative design practices. Kitzsteinhorn - Wikipedia Seat of a Salzburg burgrave from 1480, it was devastated during the 1526 German Peasants' War. A slow leak of highly flammable hydraulic oil was ignited by the burning 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. Each funicular unit had its fire extinguishers out of the passengers' reach in the sealed attendants' compartments. The other three were found at a station stop at the top of the tunnel. By Philip Sherwell, Michael Leidig in Vienna, Julian Coman in Kaprun, Jenny Booth and Daniel Foggo 12 November 2000 12:00am. Kornmarkt to the Schloss or castle, is even older: It opened for business 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. "Medical and recovery experts from Austria and Germany will today begin the harrowing indentification process which police said could take at least two weeks. The disaster of the Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2 funicular - YouTube The Truth About The Deadly Kaprun Railway Disaster. 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. 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. What Does It Take to Win Birds of Prey? 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.". Most of the victims were skiers on their way to the Kitzsteinhorn Glaciers. EU, a tax-free tourist car lease can be cheaper than renting for visits of 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. Powered by Pure, Scopus & Elsevier Fingerprint Engine 2023 Elsevier B.V. We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content. The victims were skiers on their way to the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier. A new transport system was eventually built, and the train never reopened, only leaving behind a sealed tunnel and a grim legacy. On November 11, 2000, over 100 skiers were riding a cable car funicular train in Kaprun, Austria, excited for a day traversing the Alps. Even without the heat the fumes were absolutely terrible. Located at the foot of the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, Kaprun is a year-round sports centre. In this section I will briefly explain the events that are known as the Kaprun disaster. AB - 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. An investigation found that the train was poorly equipped to deal with fires, making the mountain disaster all the more tragic, as many deaths could have been avoided with better systems and care from the designers. Fire safety in rail and road tunnels is challenging because of the specific features of the tunnel environment. By: Francis Xavier, What happens when your campsite isnt bear-proofcheck out his video from the Oakland Zoo to find out. 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. Most of the victims were skiers on their way to the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier. 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. T1 - International tunnel fire-safety design practices. 37 Germans Seiss said there was insufficient evidence to find the suspects responsible for the conditions that led to the blaze. The attendant in the burning train died with the 149 skiers. Authorities have yet to discover the cause of the explosion. The Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2 was a funicular railway running from Kaprun to the Kitzsteinhorn, which opened in 1974. 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. 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. Salvage workers and police continue to work steadily to identify victims and to discover the cause of the catastrophe. Three died in the shop and restaurant because of smoke. Web site. In September 2007, the public prosecutor's office found that the manufacturer of the electric heater was not responsible. Terms of Use and Privacy Statement, CIVIL ENGINEERING (PROCEEDINGS OF THE ICE). The Continue reading . The sustainability of existing tunnels, given the increased road traffic and changed vehicle mix, or the new rolling stocks, needs innovative design practices. Of course tunnel fire safety had been studied for a long time before these fires, so that The Austrian Nobel Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek incorporated the disaster in her 2003 play In den Alpen (In the alps). Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 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. Each train had four passenger compartments and a cab at front and rear for the attendant, who switched back and forth as they travelled up and down. November 11, 2000. The railway's owners, Gletscherbahn Kaprun, said: "Due to a fire in the tunnel, there was a shorting in the electrical circuit, consequently causing the train travelling up to the ski slope to catch fire." Unfortunately, most of them would never make it. An avalanche killed 12 people last March south of Salzburg, in the same region. In the early 20th century the castle was a possession of Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein, who sold it in 1921. 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. The third section, from the Krefeld Hut, is 2,192 metres (1.362 miles) long and climbs 575 metres. 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. The victims were skiers on their way to the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier. The railway had the unusual track gauge of 946mm (.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}3ft1+14in) and a length of 3,900 metres (12,800ft), with 3,300 metres (10,800ft) of track inside a tunnel. The Mooserboden hydroelectric plant uses water from two reservoirs held back by some of Austria's largest dam walls. Train Disaster at Kaprun - YouTube 170 perish in Alpine tunnel inferno - The Telegraph The lowest section, running from Kapruner Thoerl up to the Salzburg Hut, is 2028 metres long and climbs 970 metres in altitude. 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. "Fire on the Ski Slope" is about the Kaprun disaster.The Kaprun disaster was the fire that occurred in a funicular car in the tunnel of the Gletscherbahn 2 railway in Kaprun, Austria, on 11 November 2000. Medical and psychiatric personnel have been providing support for the rescue workers due to the macabre scene. Groes Wiesbachhorn, 3,564m (11,693ft), part of the Hohe Tauern range, forming the border of Salzburg with Carinthia. and the Schloss or castle on the hill overlooking the old town.). 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. 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. Together they form a unique fingerprint. Only 12 survivors escaped from the scene of the fire. Absolutely heartbreaking. more information on riding the funicular or taking your vows on the trip up, They turned and ran for their lives." 18, there's no upper age limit, and rates include insurance. Tauern Spa World was completed in November 2010 and is the second largest spa complex in Austria. 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 train Many of the still-trapped occupants had by now lost consciousness due to toxic fumes. 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 The intensity of the fire required the bodies to be identified with DNA samples, which forensic experts are now collecting. Kaprun is a typical Alpine village, its streets lined by traditional stucco and wood chalet-style houses and hotels, their overhanging roofs iced in winter with a thick layer of snow. Welcome to Unofficial Networks's European Union Experience. Today, the completely renovated funicular consists of two parts: . . The structural flaws of the funicular trains, especially the lack of safety mechanisms, were found to have played a role in the tragedy. Manfred Muller, the railway's security director, said: "We never thought it was possible that a fire could break out." Testing skis and winter gear is hard work (just ask our boot testers)but someone's gotta do it. 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 (10 Germans and two Austrians) from the burning ascending train. that travel in opposite directions and pass each other at the midpoint of their It was impossible to breathe." Six more deaths occurred indirectly. The clear blue skies and a planned ski competition meant that the two carriages were packed as they entered the tunnel on the first day of the winter season at the year-round ski resort. 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. Kaprun disaster The disaster claimed the lives of 155 people, leaving 12 survivors (10 Germans, 2 Austrians) from the burning car. The tunnel terminated at the main reception centre, called the Alpine Centre. 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. Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. 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.". Meanwhile, the centre was filled with smoke and all except four people escaped the centre. Getting married? Austria ski tunnel fire case opens. Kaprun, Austria, Nov. 15, 2000The final death toll is 155 people in what can be pronounced historys worst cable car accident. They were desperately trying to find a way out. Speaking on Austrian radio, one of the survivors described smoke pouring through the carriages. International tunnel fire-safety design practices. | 170 perish in Alpine tunnel inferno. The disaster killed 155 people (150 on the ascending train, 2 on the descending train and 3 in the mountain station). [citation needed]. 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. This section includes the world's tallest aerial lift pylon, a steel framework construction 113.9 metres (originally 106 meters) high. Fatal tunnel sealed entrance - Wikimapia Unfortunately, most of them would never make it. Forensic technicians refuse to give information about the substance other than it is being chemically analyzed and appears similar in consistency to a lubricant. 1.2. However, the doors were controlled by the same hydraulic fluid, and a power wire had been melted, meaning he had no method of contacting the control center. The total length of the system is just over 1.5 km. There were two carriages running simultaneously on a single track, with a section allowing them to pass each other halfway. Air-Conditoning Eng. The death toll now stands at 158. The onboard electric power, hydraulic systems, and fan heaters intended for use in homes instead of trains increased the likelihood of 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. 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. [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. 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. If you live outside the ascent or descent. 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. ABOVE: The upper section of the Heidelberger Kaprun Archives - Funimag photoblog 11th of November, 2000 in Kaprun, Austria, WATCH: Ski Patrol Sets Off Major Avalanche At Crystal Mountain Resort, Windham Mountain Announces Plans To Become A Four-Season Destination Resort, VIDEO: Purposely Crossing Your Skis Prior To Takeoff Is A Bold Move, Oregon Ski Resort Extends Season Until Mid-May, Most of Yosemite Temporarily Closed Due To Snowmelt Flooding Concerns, Zoo Demonstrates What Happens When Campsites Aren't "Bear-Proof", Projected Closing Dates For Ski Resorts In The Northeast. The inhumane conditions were depicted by Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek in her 2003 play Das Werk. The Kitzsteinhorn glacier railway has operated since 1974 and was the world's first Alpine underground railway. 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. One group managed to break through, and an ex-firefighter among them advised that they should descend the mountain, past the fire, to avoid smoke. The stations were abandoned and the tunnel sealed. A military spokesman at the 86th Airlift Wing in Ramstein had no immediate details. funicular consists of two parts: The underground stretch from Kornmarkt to Molkenkur, which has all-new Fire safety in rail and road tunnels is challenging because of the specific features of the tunnel environment. Six more deaths occurred indirectly. The fire was traced to an electric fan heater that overheated and caught fire, severing a number of . The tragedy occurred Monday, when the Kitzsteinhorn-bound funicular burst into flames in a tunnel, trapping nearly all of its passengers. Travel DOCUMENTARY: The Kaprun Disaster, The Funicular Railway Fire That The fire melted through plastic pipes carrying flammable hydraulic fluid from the braking system, and the resulting loss of fluid pressure caused the train to halt unexpectedly (this was a standard safety feature). Railsystem goes on to describe that the train, created in 1974 and upgraded in 1993, had no smoke alarms and no fire extinguishers within reach of passengers. 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. abstract = "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. 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. The passengers attempted to break the tough acrylic glass in an effort to escape. The train complied with area safety codes, which did not address the systems installed on the train during its 1993 upgrade. Heidelberg > Funicular. The funicular runs daily All the passengers ascending on foot, as well as the train conductor, were asphyxiated by the smoke and then burned by the fire. The reservoir area has become a tourist attraction, with views over the towns of Kaprun and Zell am See. Judge Seiss said there was insufficient evidence to find the suspects responsible for the conditions that led to the blaze. Chaprunne Castle was acquired by the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg in 1287 and enfeoffed to the Lords of Felben in 1338. tunnel (UK-France; no fatality but very severe damage) in 1996, Kaprun funicular tunnel . Some recent advances in technology, specifically state-of-the-art ventilation and water suppression systems, are also discussed. in 1890, with service to the castle and to the settlement of Molkenkur. When it was built in 1974 the system was described as "fireproof". CNN.com - Austria ski tunnel fire case opens - June 18, 2002 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. There were two carriages on a single track, with a section allowing the trains to pass each other halfway. Road access to the tunnel was blocked by police, with even friends and relatives unable to gain access to the scene. Kaprun - A new future for the Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2 funicular 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. / Miclea, Paul C.; Chow, Wan Ki; Chien, Shen Wen et al. Other Austrian cable cars that resemble the one at Kitzsteinhorn have been halted for safety checks. Two fleeing workers in the Alpine Centre, upon seeing the smoke, alerted employees and customers and escaped via an emergency exit. This nighttime picture of the funicular tunnel was taken with There were terrible scenes in the cabin I was in, which suddenly filled with smoke. Kaprun disaster: One hundred fifty-five skiers and snowboard | The 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. 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. Kaprun Disaster - rail system and a length of 3.9 kilometres (2.4 miles), of which 3.3 kilometres (2.1 miles) was through a tunnel. The Kitzsteinhorn is accessed by the Gletscherbahn 1, an aerial lift in three sections, opened on 12 December 1965 to develop the area for glacier skiing. On 19 February 2004, Judge Manfred Seiss acquitted all 16 suspects, including company officials, technicians, and government inspectors, clearing them of criminal negligence. cars and a tunnel with the latest fire-safety technology; The longer above-ground stretch 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. 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. 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. Two fleeing workers in the Alpine Centre, upon seeing the smoke, alerted employees and customers and escaped via an emergency exit. Copyright 1996-2023 Durant and Cheryl 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. On 11 November 2000, 161 passengers and one conductor boarded the funicular train for an early morning trip to the slopes. Imboden. Tuesday, investigators found an oily substance on a mountain railway in Austria, offering the first potential clue. The Truth About The Deadly Kaprun Railway Disaster - Grunge The extinguishers were in a sealed attendant's cabin, and those inside had no way of contacting the attendant. Understand [] Kaprun III, with 113.6 m the tallest aerial tramway support pillar in the world. Gletscherbahn 2 was a funicular railway with two carriages running from Kaprun to the Kitzsteinhorn which opened on 23 March 1974. We expect to find a lot of ashes. The disaster killed 155 people (150 on the ascending train, two on the descending train and three in the mountain station). The smoke kept ascending the tunnel, reaching the Alpine Centre located at the top end of the track 2,500 metres away. 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. "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 stations were abandoned and the tunnel sealed, and it remains unused today. (Cars run underground between Kornmarkt, in the Altstadt, 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. 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. Kaprun (German pronunciation: [kaprun]) is a municipality in the Zell am See District in the state of Salzburg, Austria. [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. 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." 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. The Kaprun 2 Funicular ran between the Kaprun valley and the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, safely transporting millions of skiers and tourists since 1974. The track cuts through a cliff and ridges as it heads up to the ski slopes. 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. For There was no cellphone reception within the tunnels, which meant that passengers had no method of contacting the attendant.
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