Strong winds complicated efforts to airlift the victims of Austria's funicular rail tragedy away from the site Tuesday, after recovery teams worked through the night to remove bodies from the mountainside tunnel.
Gusts of up to 100 kilometers (60 miles) per hour were forecast for the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, the scene of Saturday's inferno in which 159 people are believed to have died.
By Monday evening 66 corpses had been pulled out of the three-kilometer tunnel inside which the funicular railcar burst into flames on Saturday. The cause of the blaze remains a mystery.
After the fire broke out, dozens managed to break out of the carriage but were asphyxiated in the tunnel. Only 12 people escaped.
Many more bodies still have to be removed from the charred train wreckage itself.
The number of those evacuated was expected to be updated later in the morning, but officials have cautioned that work may slow as they begin the gruesome but delicate work of removing bodies from the train itself.
The corpses are being flown to Salzburg for identification. Helicopters had to interrupt flights on several occasions on Monday due to strong winds.
The victims of the tragedy include 92 Austrians, 37 Germans, 10 Japanese, eight US nationals, two Dutch nationals, four Slovenians, one Briton and one Czech citizen, according to the latest figures -- KAPRUN (AFP)
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