A gondola tower at the base of Whistler, B.C.'s Blackcomb Mountain has come off its moorings, trapping at least six people inside several cars.
Witnesses say they heard a big booming from the Blackcomb "Excalibur" tower around 2:30 p.m. PST, followed by a snapping noise. The tower is now leaning quite heavily to one side.
Dave Komadowski was standing at the base of the mountain, in Whistler Village, when it happened.
He says at least six people are trapped inside the gondola closest to the base of the mountain, the car resting only a few feet off the ground. Four to six people are inside.
One cabin has crashed on top of a bus shelter in Whistler Village. The one beyond it is dangling five metres above Fitzsimmons Creek.
Another gondola, about 40 metres further up the mountain, also has people trapped inside. A crew from the Whistler Fire Department is on the scene and has reached a long ladder to the car, and is figuring out how to extricate the people inside.
The gondola cable is said to be sagging down quite far from its regular track.
Komadowski says at least one house sitting under the main gondola line has damage to the roof from the cable hitting it.
This gondola is not the new Peak-to-Peak gondola system that opened in Whistler last week.
The Blackcomb "Excalibur" gondola is 509 metres tall. Each gondola cabin holds around eight to 10 people.
-CTV News B.C.
