Thirty-three people remained trapped overnight in cable cars dangling high above the ground in the French Alps, officials said.
Twelve people were rescued late Thursday night because their cable cars were hanging low enough that rescue workers could get to them safely, said Iaian Cleaver, an employee of Mont-Blanc Company, which owns the cable car service. They were able to walk to a connecting cable car that took them to the Italian town of Courmayeur , Cleaver said.
Rescue operations for the remaining 33 people will resume Friday at 6:30 a.m., depending on the weather, Cleaver said.
Earlier in the day, helicopters rescued 65 of the 110 riders trapped in the Chamonix region near Mont Blanc earlier Thursday, a local government official with knowledge of the operation told CNN.
Officials had cautioned earlier that the rescue attempt was dependent on weather conditions and nightfall.
The official said there were “blankets and rationing” in the cabin for these kind of situations. The cars are at an altitude of nearly 12,000 feet.
The incident happened about 4:30 p.m., after two cables crossed over each other, the official said.
French and Italian helicopters were used to get passengers to safety, Chamonix Mayor Eric Fournier told CNN affiliate BFMTV.
A tourist from Australia posted a picture on Instagram after riding the cable car in Chamonix earlier.
“I’ve done a lot of cable cars in my time and this one was definitely the fastest and bouncier,” Louise Banks told CNN. “I was also surprised that the attendants opened the door to the cable car when the cable car was still swinging to and fro when it came into the landing bay.”
Another tourist, from South Africa, posted a video showing spectacular views of snow-capped mountains taken before the incident.
“We were stuck for a few minutes this morning and we were frightened, but we had never been in a ski lift before so we were not sure if this was normal,” the tourist, who did not want to be named, told CNN. “We are very relieved that we are back safely and our prayers are for people to be safe as soon as possible.”
The panoramic Vallée Blanche Cable Car connects Aiguille du Midi on the French side of the mountain to Pointe Helbronner on the Italian border.
Télécabine Panoramique Mont-Blanc traverses some of the glaciers and crevasses on the mountain. Chamonix lies below some of the highest peaks in Europe.