The operator of an Austrian funicular on which 155 people died in an inferno denied Friday reports of technical problems signaled by passengers before the tragedy two weeks ago.
"Until the accident there had been no problems or incidents," said Harald Schiffl, spokesman for the Kapruner Gletscherbahnen firm after media reports about problems before the tunnel tragedy on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier.
The daily Der Standard reported Friday that investigators have so far interviewed some 300 witnesses who had reported anomalies in the hours and days leading up to the November 11 blaze.
Passengers reported knocking noises, unexplained stops by the funicular train, and even a smell of smoke, according to the newspaper citing sources in the investigation.
The funicular spokesman said that if a wheel were broken or a knocking noise heard "that would have been noted. We had no problems," he told the APA news agency. "No interruptions were reported in the log book.
He also dismissed reports that the train sometimes stopped half way up, saying this was normal to change drivers, or for hunters or other locals to get on or off the railcar -- VIENNA (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
