Woman dies after fatal gondola crash at Engelberg ski-resort, Switzerland
A 61-year-old woman died after a gondola crashed at a ski resort in Engelberg, Switzerland, on March 18, 2026, as strong winds affected the area and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of people.
Crashed Gondola in Engelberg ski area on March 18, 2026. Credit: Cantonal Police Nidwalden
A gondola crashed in a ski resort at Engelberg due to strong gale-force winds, causing the death of a 61-year-old woman on March 18.
The crash occurred shortly after 11:00 local time (LT) on the “Titlis-Xpress” line near the Trübsee area, shortly after the gondola left the middle station heading toward Schlächtismatt.
Norbert Patt, director of the Titlis cable car, confirmed the accident to the Swiss state broadcaster SRF. According to witnesses speaking to Blick, the cabin fell due to high winds. The crash occurred shortly after the first stop at a middle station; the cabin then rolled down the slope, flipping multiple times.
Horror ongeval met gondel. Zoals deze video laat zien, is een gondellift in het Zwitserse #Engelberg in het kanton Obwalden neergestort. Er staat momenteel een sterke wind in het gebied. Of er personen in de gondel zaten is nog niet duidelijk #20Min 🇨🇭 pic.twitter.com/vfOny8EwK6
— Johanns (Alpen)weer @johannsalpenweer.bsky.social (@Alpenweerman) March 18, 2026
“It was a very windy day. The system triggers a wind alarm at 40 km/h and must shut down at 60 km/h. It is currently unclear if these thresholds were exceeded or if an alarm sounded,” said Patt
The Swiss police confirmed that the woman was alone in the cabin at the time of the incident. A rescue helicopter was deployed to the scene with paramedics who attempted to resucitate the woman but were unable to do so.
Around 100 to 200 people were evacuated from 40 other gondolas in the areas following the incident. All lifts in the ski area were closed indefinitely.
The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (SUST) has taken over the investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident.
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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