16 Acquitted in Deadly 2000 Ski Cable Car Fire
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
An Austrian court acquitted 16 people of negligence in a ski cable car blaze that killed 155 tourists in November 2000, saying the disaster could not have been foreseen.
Relatives of the dead shouted in protest or walked out as the judge cleared resort workers, cable car operators and safety inspectors.
Only 12 people survived the accident at the Alpine resort of Kaprun when fire raced through the cable car inside a tunnel.
Prosecutors said an electric heater not designed for use in vehicles had caused the blaze.
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