On Thursday night 45 people were trapped in cars. Not normal cars but cable cars in the French Alps.

At first there were 110 people trapped when the cable cars stopped but 65 people were evacuated by helicopter. They could not rescue everyone because it got dark and cloudy, so the rescuers could not see well. They are hoping to get everyone else on Friday morning.

The stranded tourists were given survival blankets, energy bars and water and first aid workers stayed in the cable cars with them. They think that strong winds caused the problem and it was a freak accident.

It must have been very frightening to be stuck in the cable cars but people shouldn't be afraid of using them because they are very safe. But maybe a few more people are now afraid of heights.

Vocabulary

Trapped – not able to leave a place

Cable cars – transport that takes people up and down a mountain

Evacuated – remove people from a place of danger

Rescue – save someone from a dangerous situation

Rescuers – the people who save someone

Stranded – left unable to move somewhere

Tourists – a person who is travelling to visit a place

Survival blankets – things to cover people and keep them warm, in an emergency

Energy bars – pre-packaged food that is high in calories

First aid workers – people who help sick or injured people

Freak - unusual

Stuck – unable to move

Think about

What would you do if your cable car stopped working?

How would you feel if you were trapped somewhere?

Have you ever seen a freak accident?