23 Injured in Cable Car Accident in Alpe d’Huez
27th August 2026
A cabin, with 50 people on board, hit a crane in the high-altitude French resort on Wednesday morning at an altitude of 2,370m. The lift remains closed, and an investigation is underway. NEW
Three people are in a critical condition in hospital and 13 others have severe injuries.
A cabin from the Pic Blanc lift collided with the extended arm of a construction crane that was operating in the immediate area.
It had just left the base station.
The lift tilted sharply off its access and the passengers slid across the floor.
The lift operator put the cabin into reverse in order to stabilise the cabin.
Almost 40 rescue personnel were immediately deployed to the incident
“There are mainly people in shock and cases of concussion,” said the mayor of Alpe d’Huez Jean-Yves Noyrey.
The seriously injured are being treated at the nearby Grenoble Alpes University Hospital.
The public prosecutor’s office in Grenoble is leading the investigation.
It will be examining if the crane operator knew of the passing cable car overhead and what safety measures were in place at the time.
It will also be checking routine maintenance timetables, staff training, emergency evacuation drills and the overall safety record.
The Pic Blanc cable car takes people to the 3,330m summit of the resort and started operations in 2025.
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