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A funicular train catches fire as it travels through a tunnel at the Kaprun Ski Resort, Austria, killing 155 people; 12 people survive, exiting the tunnel past the burning train.
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00:02The dream of alpine skiers. A mountain for every season, including summer.
00:08And a high-tech mountain railway speeding skiers to the summit.
00:16But on the opening day of the season, the new train erupts into a fiery inferno.
00:22One hundred and fifty-five people perish in nine minutes.
00:28One man will emerge a hero of a perilous mountain rescue.
00:34Now, with cutting-edge computer technology, we reveal exactly what went wrong.
00:44Disasters don't just happen. They're a chain of critical events.
00:48Unravel the fateful decisions in those final seconds from disaster.
01:01Europe.
01:02Austria.
01:04The village of Capron.
01:07November the 11th, 2000.
01:10Thousands of skiers and snowboarders crowd into the resort for the opening day of the winter sports season.
01:17What makes Capron so popular is its giant glacier.
01:21The Kitschsteinhorn.
01:24It's a mountain of ice that never melts whatever the weather.
01:27Making skiing possible even in summer.
01:31A high-tech ski train rises 1,500 meters through solid rock to land skiers near the summit.
01:43Next to the upper station, a restaurant and shopping mall.
01:528.45 a.m.
01:55Skiers and snowboarders celebrate the season start.
01:57People light firecrackers.
02:20People light firecrackers.
02:27To reach the slopes, skiers have a choice.
02:30A standard cable car or a high-tech train called a funicular.
02:36Most of the group headed for the funicular.
02:38I thought to myself, that's bound to be fast.
02:43He joins 29 other club members lining up for the high-speed summit train.
02:49The 3.8-kilometer ride should take just nine minutes.
02:53Four minutes faster than the cable car.
02:598.57 a.m.
03:04161 passengers crowd on board.
03:06Among them, some of the world's top skiers.
03:10Sandra Schmidt holds an Olympic gold for Germany.
03:13And Sebastian Geiger, who's just 14, is junior champion.
03:18Today, there's an entire American family on board, too.
03:22U.S. Army Major Michael Goodrich, his wife Jennifer,
03:25and their sons, 5-year-old Kyle and 7-year-old Michael.
03:31A long-time member of Torsten's club, Manfred Hiltel thinks nothing of taking the train.
03:41I've been skiing for decades, and regularly travel in cable cars, chairs, lifts or funiculars.
03:47I didn't give it a second thought.
03:549.02 a.m.
03:56Control room staff keep tabs as the train pulls out of the valley station.
04:03First, it crosses a spectacular 600-meter ravine,
04:07before entering a steep tunnel that climbs through the mountain.
04:12For the passengers on board, the upper valley with its ideal skiing conditions
04:16should now be just nine minutes away.
04:18But today, will be different.
04:25The train first opened its doors in 1974.
04:29It was an engineering triumph, the first of its kind.
04:32An underground train inside a mountain,
04:35climbing at speeds of 25 kilometers per hour, up a steep 30-degree incline.
04:44In 1993, it was modernized, giving it a sleek, futuristic look,
04:49and making it the pride of Austria's ski resorts.
04:55The system is ingenious but simple.
04:58There are two trains, each one balancing the other.
05:01As one climbs, its twin, across the tunnel, descends.
05:06At the top station, a powerful electric motor and pulley system
05:09pulls the trains up and down the track.
05:14Neither train has an engine or fuel.
05:17There are no drivers, just an attendant at the front of the train,
05:20who operates the doors.
05:23Each train has two coaches, with eight separate passenger compartments.
05:27There's a cab at the front and the rear of the train for the attendant,
05:30who switches back and forth as the train travels up and down.
05:34It can carry up to 180 passengers.
05:41Every day, more than a thousand people use the train,
05:44and it enjoys a perfect safety record.
05:48Until now.
05:539.02 and 3 seconds.
05:55The 161 passengers are spread through the train.
05:59Thomas Krauss is in the last compartment.
06:02Just 20 meters out of the station, he spots something.
06:06The first unusual thing I noticed was the smoke.
06:09It was like a cigarette that you put down for a moment.
06:13Thomas is at the back of the train, near the empty attendant cab,
06:16which is only used for the downhill trip.
06:19Smoke from the cab starts to seep into the rest of the car.
06:23Passengers grow concerned, then agitated.
06:26There are no smoke alarms to alert either the train attendant or the control room.
06:31One passenger tries to make a call for help on a cell phone.
06:35Others bang on the rear wall of the coach.
06:39But no one hears them.
06:41But no one hears them.
06:469.04 AM.
06:50The train enters the tunnel, cutting off cell phone signals.
06:56And there's no way to contact the attendant at the front of the train.
07:02He's more than 50 meters away, totally unaware of the crisis unfolding in the rear compartment.
07:15You could already see fire flickering, licking upwards.
07:20The word got round, and people inside the compartment realized that there was a real problem.
07:299.05 AM.
07:35600 meters into the dark tunnel, the train suddenly stops.
07:43The control room contacts the attendant to find out what's going on.
07:46But he has no idea.
07:49He didn't halt the train.
07:569.05 and 30 seconds.
08:01The rear coach is now filling with toxic smoke.
08:06But there's no emergency door release.
08:09The 161 passengers are trapped.
08:20The conditions are perfect for skiing in the alpine resort of Kaprun in Austria.
08:25But on their way to the slopes, 161 skiers are trapped in a blazing train deep inside a mountain tunnel.
08:359.06 AM.
08:38As the blaze in the empty attendance cab worsens, toxic smoke fills the passenger compartments.
08:4310.06 AM.
08:4610.07 AM.
08:47Torsten Gredler is one of the skiers trapped in the blazing rear coach.
08:5010.06 AM.
08:54The man next to me, who is also a member of our ski group, tried to pull the door open
08:58by grasping the rubber seal.
09:0010.06 AM.
09:03But the doors won't open and some people are starting to panic.
09:1010.06 AM.
09:1110.06 AM.
09:11try to smash the windows with a ski pole but they're made of shockproof
09:17plexiglass it was very very difficult he had to use extreme force just to make a
09:24hole at last they break the window and think they're free only to find
09:32another pane of glass behind it then suddenly the dangerous situation turns
09:40desperate flames from the empty attendance cab burst into the
09:46compartment the terrified passengers have nowhere to go
10:01908 up until now the attendant at the front of the train hasn't seen the blaze
10:10now he realizes what's going on he alerts the control room
10:18they tell him open the doors and get the people out at that exact moment the intercom dies and all
10:26contact with the burning train is lost operators in the control room have no idea what's going on
10:34deep within the mountain tunnel meanwhile torsten gradler's efforts to smash the windows pay off
10:44and he and the other passengers dive out of the train I was the last one to leave the compartment
10:51by that time flames were all around my head but in other compartments passengers are still trapped some
11:03people just stood there not moving at all they appeared to have been overcome by the smoke and paralyzed by
11:09it
11:159 11 am
11:16at the station an operator in the control room calls for help
11:22for those few who've managed to escape the stricken train the nightmare continues
11:29they must find a way out in the smoke-filled darkness
11:36they face a life-or-death decision which way to go up away from the fire or back down past
11:48the fire
11:49torsten gradler has been a volunteer fireman in his hometown for 25 years his instinct tells him to head
11:56down I jumped out of the train into the pitch darkness of the tunnel I shouted to the others run
12:03towards the bottom that's when I spotted the emergency steps on the other side of the tunnel
12:11the emergency stairs run right through the tunnel to the exit 600 meters away but first he has to
12:17clamber across the rails wearing ski boots the ski boots on my right foot got stuck in the rails and
12:25I
12:25just couldn't wrench my right leg free the prime fellow ski club member Thomas cross is already on
12:31the staircase he sees his friend trapped on the track surrounded by the flames I gave him a hand
12:38and the two of us ran past the train with his ski boot now free torsten tells Thomas Manfred and
12:46others to climb downwards but the emergency steps are narrow and very steep and they're slowed down by
12:54their bulky ski gear making progress agonizingly slow it was dark I stumbled because I couldn't get
13:03into a rhythm my ski boots were like plaster casts running downhill in them was extremely difficult under
13:13Torsten's guidance the desperate group tries to stay together above them looms the burning train its cables
13:30could snap at any moment sending the 40-ton train roaring down the tunnel towards them
13:43at last the 12 skiers emerge into the daylight they're exhausted and terrified but alive
13:59920 emergency services just on the scene rush to their aid
14:06Manfred Hiltel collapses and needs urgent medical treatment he's airlifted us
14:20I had leg injuries and open wounds on my knees and shoulder I was picked up by a specially equipped
14:27helicopter a man was winched down who strapped me into a harness and they flew me down the valley
14:34I was completely overwhelmed I felt faint thinking this can't be happening rescuers transfer Manfred to
14:44an ambulance and rush him to hospital but he is one of only a dozen lucky survivors to make it
14:50to safety so
14:55far 923 149 passengers and the train attendant are still stranded inside the blazing tunnel rescue workers
15:06pour in 500 firefighters 22 helicopters 100 rescue vehicles rush to the scene but the lower end of the tunnel
15:17the
15:17train is nearest to is way up the mountainside
15:24the only way for firefighters to reach it is on foot up the railway
15:29the
15:33what they encounter is terrifying
15:40the train is ablaze from end to end
15:43in such extremes of heat the cable it hangs from could snap at any moment sending the train hurtling
15:50down on top of them and crashing into the valley station below
15:56935
15:5730 minutes after the fire began the firemen are forced to abandon the rescue attempt
16:02they order an urgent evacuation of the lower station
16:07149 passengers are still inside the tunnel and now in an extraordinary twist
16:13the disaster is about to spread putting even more lives at risk
16:19rescue attempts have so far been focused on the lower end of the tunnel but now rescuers receive an urgent
16:25distress call from the summit station over two and a half kilometers away
16:30employees there report smoke seeping into the building
16:34worse there's been a total electricity failure
16:38the power supply goes out all over the mountain
16:43staff at the station fight to restore the electricity
16:48but the station is filling with thick toxic smoke and they're forced to escape through an emergency door
16:56without power
16:57the door jams open
16:59now fumes escape into the summit station shopping mall full of people
17:06employees evacuate the station and shopping area
17:09dozens of people escape
17:11but there is still four more trapped inside
17:171010
17:19helicopters airlift the first teams of rescuers up to the summit
17:25firefighters gear up to enter the smoke-filled building
17:29one of the first on the scene is Friedrich Untergangschick
17:35by the time we arrived at the top of the mountain the situation was extreme
17:39we were ready for the worst that might happen
17:43anything might be waiting for us
17:491016
17:52Friedrich's team enters the shopping area in search of survivors
17:56you couldn't see anything at all
17:58that's how it was
17:59it was like walking into a void
18:02thank god we chose the right hand entrance and quickly found the first person
18:08the firefighters stumble upon a workman lying unconscious just inside the main entrance
18:14he's barely breathing
18:17they rush him outside just in time
18:20they plunge into the smoke-filled building again
18:23despite zero visibility they find the last three people
18:30tragically
18:31they're already dead
18:34the thick smoke and high temperatures make it too dangerous for the firefighters to continue into the station and tunnel
18:41the search for the missing 149 passengers is suspended
18:47for fire chief and on Brandauer it's an agonizing dilemma
18:53we were there with nearly 500 men and 60 or 70 fire engines
18:58but there was still nothing that we could do
19:0712 midday
19:10three terrible hours since the inferno started
19:14it's still dangerous but fire chief Brandauer decides to let two small teams of specially equipped rescuers enter the tunnel
19:21in search of survivors
19:22the men have no idea what to expect in the smoke-filled darkness
19:27one team reaches the sister train which was heading down the valley at the time of the blaze
19:33inside they find the bodies of the attendant and his only passenger
19:38further down the tunnel rescuers arrive at the burned-out train
19:42around it the track is completely destroyed
19:45rails torn and twisted
19:47then they make an awful discovery
19:50of the 149 passengers trapped in the train
19:54not one has survived
20:03what was to have been a great day skiing has turned into a day of unimaginable tragedy
20:08in total
20:11155 people are dead
20:12only 12 incredibly lucky survivors escaped the fire
20:16it's the worst peacetime tragedy
20:18Austria has ever suffered
20:20and devastating news for dozens of bereaved families
20:23around the world
20:27that's the worst part of it
20:28telling the relatives there are no survivors
20:30for me that was the worst moment
20:36most of the bodies are burnt beyond recognition
20:38in some cases identification relies on DNA
20:42cross-matched with samples from the victims toothbrushes and razors
20:46found in their hotels
20:49among those who die
20:50a US Army Major Michael Goodrich
20:52his wife Jennifer
20:53and their two young children
20:58world freestyle skiing champion
21:00Sandra Schmidt
21:01perishes along with her parents
21:04German junior ski champion Sebastian Geiger
21:07aged 14 dies with three other members of his group
21:11and their two ski coaches
21:14but how could this terrible tragedy happen
21:18it's a total mystery
21:23pulled up by a cable and winch
21:25the train has no engine
21:27no fuel tanks
21:28and only low voltage electrical devices
21:33what could have caused the blaze
21:42now by rewinding the events of that fateful day
21:46we can reveal what happened
21:48cutting-edge computer technology will take us
21:51where no camera can go
21:52right into the heart of the disaster zone
21:58the regional public prosecutor's office
22:01orders an investigation into the cause of the disaster
22:09they appoint Helmut Prada to head the inquiry
22:12and recruit a team of 12 to solve the mystery
22:17using their findings
22:19we can piece together the deadly chain of events
22:23forensic investigators begin by searching for clues to the source of the blaze
22:28they must work on the burnt-out train inside the tunnel
22:32if the wreck is moved
22:34they may lose vital clues
22:37they haul the sister train untouched by the flames
22:40out of the tunnel for analysis
22:44built to identical specifications
22:46the twin train may reveal an undetected design floor
22:53within hours of the tragedy journalists air theories on the cause of the fire
23:00the times of London suggests that snowboarders may have been to blame
23:06the paper reports that some snowboarders may have been lighting firecrackers in celebration of the opening day
23:11of the new winter sports season
23:16could a teenage prank have started the terrifying inferno
23:19which would go on to claim 155 lives
23:26at this early stage of the inquiry nothing is ruled out
23:32investigators take survivor Thomas Krauss to the sister train to point out where he first saw the blaze
23:40in my statement I said it was like a cigarette that you put down for a moment
23:45that's what it looked like the smoke coming from the control panel
23:53the control panel is in the rear attendance compartment
23:58investigators try to find out if anyone could have got in there and started a fire
24:02accidentally or even deliberately
24:05but the rear cab is sealed off from the passenger compartment
24:08the only way into it is from the platform
24:13eyewitnesses confirm it was empty on the fateful journey
24:18the attendant was in the uphill cab at the front of the train
24:23the only opportunity for someone to enter the rear cab and start a fire
24:27is during the train's three-minute stop at the valley station
24:31just before it leaves
24:34investigators calculate that this is too short a time frame for anyone to get in
24:39start the fire and get out without being noticed
24:47they dismiss theories that a snowboarder or anyone else started the blaze
24:52still they concentrate on the rear guard's cab
24:57something in there did cause the deadly blaze
25:00but what?
25:09Austrian fire officials are investigating how a remotely controlled train
25:13that carries no fuel and has no engine could suddenly be engulfed by fire
25:19passenger Thomas Crouse has told them where the fire broke out
25:25the control panel in the rear attendance compartment
25:28which contains electrical wiring
25:34painstakingly the team carry out tests
25:36to see if faulty wiring could have sparked the blaze
25:41but the cables which were replaced during the train's modernization in 1993
25:46are all coated with self extinguishing materials
25:49and could not sustain a fire
25:53it seems the train's modernized electrical system
25:56conforms to all fire safety standards
26:03still the team continues to explore the records of the trains 1993 refit
26:10then they make a fascinating discovery
26:15during the trains modernization
26:17the attendance cabs were made more comfortable
26:21electric fan heaters were installed to keep the cabs warm during the freezing winter months
26:25when temperatures can plummet to minus 20 degrees Celsius
26:33and they're located beneath the control panels
26:37where smoke was first spotted
26:43when investigators check out the manufacturer's instructions for the heaters
26:47they uncover a terrible oversight
26:51incredibly they find the trains heater is designed for use in the home
26:56not for moving vehicles
26:59could fitting a domestic heater to a mountain train
27:02somehow have caused the blaze
27:05they turn to the identical heater in the sister train
27:08and make a stunning discovery
27:10the mount for the heating element is broken
27:13meaning it can easily get jammed against its plastic casing and catch fire
27:21further tests show that four out of five heaters of this type
27:24have the same defect
27:27it's a major breakthrough for the team
27:29but it doesn't close the case
27:35by itself
27:36a faulty fan heater could possibly start a fire
27:39but with no fuel on board
27:41how could it grow into an inferno so ferocious
27:44that the trains aluminium body melted
27:47and its steel rails buckled
27:52investigators are baffled
27:55but then one of the team stumbles on a pool of oily liquid on the track
27:59the trail leads upwards to the tunnels entrance
28:05they send it to a forensic lab for analysis
28:08results show that it's hydraulic oil
28:10just like the oil used in the trains braking system
28:15and it's highly flammable
28:20professor josef nejes is an expert on this type of railway
28:27there is no other explanation than that this hydraulic oil originated from the damaged train itself
28:37just like the new heaters in the attendance cabs
28:41the hydraulic system was a new feature installed during the 1993 refit
28:50120 liters of the flammable hydraulic oil run in pipes along the 61 meter train
28:58but how did the oil escape onto the track
29:02this is so that hydraulic lights
29:05hydraulic pipes are often not completely leak proof
29:08so a small amount of hydraulic oil may have seeped out
29:16but how did the highly flammable oil come into contact with the faulty fan heater
29:23after all they should be in two completely different places on the train
29:29investigators comb the sister train for clues
29:32and make another crucial discovery
29:37the control panel in the guards compartment houses an hydraulic pressure gauge
29:41and oil pipes leading to the gauge pass within just a few centimeters of the faulty heater
29:49if these pipes were leaking some of the flammable oil could have dripped onto the heater
29:56could this be the vital breakthrough investigators are looking for
30:00now they can piece together the chain of events leading up to the tragedy
30:1014 minutes before disaster
30:14the train fills up with 161 skiers
30:17in the empty attendance cab a dribble of oil is already dripping down the pipes into the heater
30:22which comes on automatically during station stops
30:27a design fault causes the unit to overheat
30:32hydraulic oil seeps onto the red hot heater element
30:35fire breaks out unnoticed before the train even leaves the station
30:46nine minutes to go
30:51as the train pulls out of the station the heater switches off automatically
30:57but it's too late
31:00inside fire takes hold
31:03thomas krauss is close by the control panel
31:08the first unusual thing i noticed was the smoke
31:11wisps of smoke coming from some sort of control panel
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