Gondola cabin with passengers falls at British Columbia ski resort

The gondola at the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden plummeted approximately 10 feet before landing on its side in the snow.

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March 10 (UPI) -- A gondola cabin loaded with passengers at a ski resort in British Columbia crashed to the ground Monday, shortly after heading up the hill.

The gondola at the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden plummeted approximately 10 feet before landing on its side in the snow. The ski resort has not confirmed how many passengers were inside the cabin when it fell.

"At 9:20 a.m., an incident occurred involving a cabin at the base terminal of Golden Eagle Express gondola. Our patrol team and first responders were rapidly dispatched on scene," the resort said in a statement

According to the resort website, each cabin can hold eight passengers. Investigators with Technical Safety B.C., said "only minor injuries have been reported."

"Patrol responded right away, and some bystander called 911. The doors came ajar in the fall, but nobody could get out of the downed cabin," witness Scott Wilson told CBC.

"When my son and I left the area about five minutes later, the occupants were still trapped inside," he added.

Kicking Horse Mountain shut down the resort shortly after the gondola crashed and, according to its website, will remain "closed until further notice" as they investigate what caused the cabin to fall from the cable.

"Our trained maintenance team is evacuating the passengers as per standard operating procedure. A full inspection has been initiated to determine and analyze root causes," the resort said in a statement, earlier Monday.

"Teams from the manufacturer and relevant authorities have been called in to further assist."

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