The Austrian ski resort of Kaprun re-opened Thursday a month after 155 people died in a fire in a mountain funicular tunnel, one of the worst Alpine disasters ever.
Cable cars and ski lifts resumed carrying skiers onto the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, although the funicular on which the disaster ocurred on November 11 will remain closed for at least the winter, pending investigations.
"There are already lots of skiers, we're quite full for the weekend," tourist office spokesman Christan Pfeffer told AFP, confirming that ski lifts had re-opened at 8:00 a.m.
The victims of the funicular blaze included 92 Austrians, 37 Germans, 10 Japanese, eight Americans, four Slovenians, two Dutch nationals, one Briton and one Czech. Thirty-seven were under the age of 20.
The Kitzsteinhorn glacier is a well-known mecca for snowboarders, who flock to Kaprun for year-round winter sports.
The Austrian resort re-opened a day after relatives of victims formed an association, notably to push for more information about the investigation into the disaster.
"Since the media turned from the catastrophe to other events, our main source of information has dried up," said Benedikt Seilern-Moy, father of one of the victims said Wednesday.
It was "utterly incomprehensible that we have been completely neglected." – VIENNA (AFP)
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