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THE INDEPENDENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER WITH LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS
FRIDAY 24th MARCH TO THURSDAY 6th APRIL 2017 TV GUIDE
PAGES 25 -32
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EDITION 572 FORTNIGHTLY SUPPLEMENT F
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PAGES 49 -56
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Cable car due to reopen on March 22nd after dramatic rescue
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HE day and night two cable cars halted in midair half-way up Mount Teide will be an emergency many people will remember for a very long time, not least the tourists involved who were simply expecting a good day out! Despite being one of the most dramatic rescues ever carried out on the island in terms of numbers, complexity and length of time, there was overwhelming support for the authorities and ver y little criticism. “These things happen, we don’t attribute any blame,” said one of the holidaymakers rescued but added: “That’s not to say we would want to do it again. It’s certainly a rather different holiday story to tell in the future!” Nearly 240 people were affected by the breakdown and the ordeal they had to go through is perhaps a little easier to understand when you see the pictures taken by the emergency services. Imagine being stuck in a cable car at least 150ft above rocky ground and being told you will have to slip down through the trap door, wearing a safety jacket attached to a pulley to get back down to earth. Or already being at the top station of the cable car and
realising you will have to walk down the extremely rocky terrain of Mount Teide to get home. Others faced being stretchered down or having to spend the night both in the cable car station and in the refuge before beginning a 7.30am walk down the volcano the next morning. There were many positives, however, including the fact that not one person was seriously injured and that the incident happened just a few days before snow fell on Mount Teide. This did, however, hamper the investigations as experts had to wait for the weather to clear before reclaiming the two cabins and starting to find out what happened. About 50 people needed some sort of medical help for mild conditions but no-one had to be taken to hospital. A team of psychologists was called in to also assist anyone suffering from trauma. The incredible rescue made headline news every-
where, with the dramatic pictures being seen by hundreds of thousands of people. Many were able to say: “That could well have been us!” given the number of visitors to Mount Teide day in, day out. At the time of going to press, full details of why the cable cars stopped had not yet been released but it is thought the service would be open again by or on Wednesday March 22nd. To check, please see the official site of the cable car company, Teleférico del Teide on www.volcanoteide.com/en Their latest bulletin said: “We will restore the service under conditions of maximum safety on Wednesday, 22nd March 2017.” Experts were called in from the manufacturers in Switzerland and full reports are being drawn up. The complicated rescue involved numerous bodies and authorities, including the police, Civil Guard, military emergency unit, Civil Protection, firemen, the Red Cross, Teide National Park staff, Anaga Emergency Aid and the Cabildo amongst them. In total, the rescue operation involved 374 personnel. Of those trapped, 59 were rescued by helicopter, the
Photos: Bomberos de Tenerife
A DAY TRIP TO TEIDE WHICH WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN!
others eventually descended on foot. There were 35 people in each of the two cable cars, with the others at the top of the station. They were of all nationalities and all ages, including children. No-one likes to see any sort of emergency happening anywhere in the Canaries but once again, the rescue services showed their absolute professionalism and dedication.