Horrific moment chairlift collapses in a Russian resort, with four people plunging into a lake, and six hitting the ground - as others are trapped dangling mid-air
The ride from hell left a dozen people injured in Nalchik, in the mountainous region of Kabardino-Balkaria in southern Russia on Friday.
Footage shows how the chairs suddenly fall, with passengers heard screaming as they fall into a wooded area.
Another video captured on CCTV shows the cable cars going down and falling into the lake below.
People are believed to have fallen from a height of up to seven feet, but there were no fatalities.
Emergency services reportedly spent over an hour trying to reach those who had fallen into a wooded area.
Those injured were rushed to the hospital, and one is in critical condition, according to the regional health ministry.
A child was also among those hurt in the accident.
Thirteen people were also left dangling on the chairs and had to be evacuated by emergency services, local media reports.
The chairlift was first built in 1968, and emergency services believe wear and tear of cables was the 'preliminary cause of the accident'.
According to local media, there had been several complaints about the state of the cable car, with tourists describing it as 'rusty' and 'old'.
The horror plunge comes after a British couple was killed back April when the cable care they were travelling in plummeted 100 ft into an Italian mountainside.
The holidaymakers were travelling up Monte Faito, which overlooks the bay of Naples, alongside two Israeli tourists and the cabin's driver, named in Italian media as 59-year-old Carmine Parlato.
The group had set off up the mountain in one of the cableway's two cabins, leaving from the station in the historic town of Castellammare di Stabia at 2.40pm yesterday afternoon.
Six minutes later, with the cabin understood to have been just 20 seconds away from reaching the safety of the terminal at the top of the 3,700ft peak, it ground to a halt.
Officials said that the emergency braking system that was meant to hold it in place appears to have failed, meaning the cabin would have started sliding back down the wire.
It was then that the traction cable snapped, sending the carriage and those in it swinging into a nearby pylon 'at full speed', according to the boss of the firm that runs the cable car.
The cabin then plummeted nearly 100ft into the tree-covered ravine below, with its metal walls crumpled by thick branches as it split into pieces.
Parts of it became lodged in the tree canopy while other bits of debris rolled down the slope, with the people inside thrown across the forest, Italian media reports.
All but one of those on board lost their lives, with the Israeli man incredibly found by rescue teams among the mangled wreckage, along with the body of his partner and the three other passengers, some two hours after the alarm was first raised.
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Times
2 days ago
- Times
The five airport rip-offs to avoid this summer
Holidays are supposed to be relaxing, but getting away can be anything but. Once you've made it to the airport, you are faced with hidden charges and high prices that can leave you out of pocket before you even get out of the country. Oversized luggage, lengthy airport queues and parking are all lucrative money makers for airlines, while even a short time spent in an airport can add huge costs to your holiday bill. Here are some of the most common pitfalls that catch passengers out, and how to avoid them. Long gone are the days when a flight ticket covered all the costs associated with getting on a plane. The advertised price of a flight is just the tip of the iceberg, with extra costs for essentials such as luggage and somewhere to sit quickly racking up. Most airlines charge for the luxury of choosing your seat — particularly annoying for families who are travelling with children. You can often wait until check-in and get a seat free, running the risk of being seated separately, but some airlines give you no option but to pay for a seat if you are travelling with a young child. Airlines are raking in cash from these charges for seats. The best way to beat them is to check in as early as possible for the best chance of getting seats together — unless you are flying with Ryanair. Most airlines say they make every effort to sit groups together but Ryanair says its seat allocation is completely random. (Some passengers claim it deliberately seats groups separately.) Most ensure that children are seated next to at least one adult from their booking, although the age requirements vary between companies, and, as mentioned, some have compulsory charges. Once on board you'll have to pay if you want wi-fi. Airlines including British Airways, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic charge from £5 to more than £20 for wi-fi access, with the cost varying on whether a flight is long or short-haul. And you won't get a refund for a slow connection, although some will refund you if the wi-fi didn't work — but this can be hard to prove. Airlines have to get you on a replacement flight or refund your money (which can be as a voucher) if they cancel your flight. But you may not get your money back for any extras booked alongside, such as airport parking. Airlines including Jet2 and Ryanair offer airport parking when you book your flight, but like with any third-party service, you should check your refund rights. While Jet2 allows parking cancellations up to the time of your flight, giving you a voucher or cash refund, if your flight is cancelled or changed, Ryanair's car park bookings are non-refundable. In February Ian and Gaye Orford booked return flights from Stansted to Tenerife for a golf trip next January. The couple, 57 and 59, paid £608.41, which covered luggage (including their golf bags) and parking, with the latter costing £67.49. Ian, a retired computer programmer, said they regularly booked parking through Ryanair because it was usually £10 cheaper than going directly through the airport. But Ryanair emailed in July to say their flight had been rescheduled to seven hours later and they would now arrive at their hotel after midnight, so they asked for a refund and booked with another airline. Although Ryanair refunded the flights, it refused to refund them the parking. 'If you had booked directly with Stansted, you can change for free, and I guess we just assumed the same deal with this,' Ian said. Ryanair said because the booking was with Stansted Airport, the Orfords needed to contact the airport to request a refund. Stansted Airport said because the booking had been made through a third party, it was governed by Ryanair's terms and conditions. • Parking private jet at Edinburgh airport 'cheaper than a car' 'Through no fault of our own, we're out of pocket and we apparently have no recourse,' said Ian, who intends to only book parking with the airport directly in future. Booking fees for plane seats can also be non-refundable, such as with BA. It will refund your seat fees if it cancels your flight, but not if you do, even if the flight itself can be refunded. Rhys Jones from the frequent flyer advice site Head for Points said these fees can be as much as £62 per person on long-haul business class flights. He said: 'It doesn't seem particularly fair to keep seat selection fees for someone who no longer needs those seats because they've cancelled their flight.' There is no consistency on baggage allowances between airlines. And if you have booked through one airline, but American Airlines or Iberia actually operates the flight, their baggage rules will apply. BA allows a maximum cabin bag of 56cm x 45cm x 25cm while Iberia, part of BA's parent company International Airlines Group (IAG), has a limit of 56cm x 40cm x 25cm. BA's 'partner' American Airlines' allowance is 56cm x 36cm x 23cm. And while BA allows a cabin bag weighing up to 23kg, its IAG stablemate Vueling only allows up to 10kg, along with slightly smaller dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm. Check who you are flying with and the baggage allowance to avoid a bill at the gate. Wizz Air charges £13 for every kilogram you exceed the cabin or hold baggage allowance, easyJet £12, Ryanair £13 and BA £65 for each oversized bag. Jo Rhodes from the consumer group Which? said there had been many cases where passengers who thought they had the right sized bags were still charged. Swissport, which runs cargo handling and passenger services across 276 airports, easyJet and Ryanair have been in the news this summer for reportedly paying commission to staff who catch out passengers with oversized luggage. 'We've heard of passengers being forced to pay nearly £50 extra for having too big a bag, despite it meeting the required measurements,' Rhodes said. 'It can feel like you won't be granted entry on to the flight unless you stump up the money, so we would advise you to keep the receipt and take a photo of the bag from different angles in the sizer (rather than at the time of boarding, so the airline doesn't claim you've removed items) to challenge it afterwards.' • Hand luggage: Ryanair, easyJet and British Airways policies explained Doing pretty much anything at the airport is likely to cost more than anywhere else. While checking in online beforehand is free, Wizz Air charges £36.50 and Ryanair £55 for checking in at the airport, which they claim covers the cost of servicing airport check-ins. Wizz Air said: 'We aim to make check-in simple for passengers and provide instructions during the booking process, on the Wizz Air website and via email reminders on how to check-in online to avoid fees.' Most big airports now offer to 'fast-track' you through security using a separate lane. Costs range from £5 at Belfast International to £12.50 at Heathrow, depending on how far in advance you book. Rhodes said: 'Fast-track security may seem like a tempting way to beat the queues, but in reality it's not worth shelling out for because you won't save that much time. Fast-track is also not always guaranteed at peak times, such as the school summer holidays, and can come with other conditions, like not allowing buggies, which will be impractical for young families.' • The best airlines in the world — according to you As anyone who has ever bought a bottle of water just before boarding will know, airport shopping can be pricey, even though some things (including bottled water) are free of VAT. Passengers are often sceptical about whether duty-free really represents a saving — and the experts agree. Jones said: 'I've compared prices, especially for alcohol, and often found that airport duty-free is the same price or only marginally cheaper than some of the more competitive supermarkets. The bottom line is that it's always worth doing a quick price comparison before your trip to make sure you're getting a good deal.' For those without hold luggage and who have to stick to the 100 millilitres of liquid rule for cabin bags, there could be a cheaper alternative to expensive travel-sized toiletries or buying them after going through security. Boots has a click and collect service where you can order items at normal retail prices and pick them up at 15 airports, after security, for a £4.50 delivery fee. If your flight is cancelled items are returned to the warehouse after seven days and you will be your holiday rip-off pet peeve? Let us know in the comments below
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
‘It has an ancient, Jurassic Park feel': a local's guide to Port Douglas
I was born and raised in Mossman, 20 minutes from Port Douglas, and have worked in tourism on Kuku Yalanji country since 1999. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. When I was young, Port Douglas was a bunch of local fishers, a handful of shops and the pubs. When the Sheraton resort opened in 1987, development really kicked off. Now it's one of those scenic resort towns you find all over the world. There are no box jellyfish from May to October (dry season). That's peak season so it can go from about 3,500 people to 10,000. Wet season is from December or January until mid-April. You'll get rained on a bit but the creeks are full, the rainforest is lush and the energy is different with so few tourists around. Four Mile beach is on the eastern side of town, then there's a bustling marina with dive shops, boat centres, cafes and restaurants. The shopping area is mostly on Macrossan Street. People are drawn to eat outside in the tropical climate so most of the restaurants have outdoor seating. Salsa Bar and Grill is popular; it can be hard to get in. I order a steak but lots of people enjoy seafood like the saltwater barramundi. The Surfy (Port Douglas Surf Life Saving Club) is high on the levee on Four Mile beach with an open-air veranda overlooking the Coral Sea. I do the trout tacos to start and then I'll get a steak. It does wine matching too. Zinc is a restaurant and cocktail bar that's a bit fancier. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning The Tin Shed on the marina does good bistro-style meals: chicken parmigiana, steaks, pastas and kids' meals. It does crocodile spring rolls and tacos, and gets fresh fish right off the boats, like nannygai (red snapper), red emperor, Spanish mackerel and tuna. For coffee, Sparrow Port Douglas opens at 6am so it's good for early starts. Origin Espresso roasts its own beans and has baked goods and French pastries. It serves cold brew, green tea lattes and chai too. Mossman Gorge is in the south of the world's oldest rainforest, the Daintree. It has an ancient, Jurassic Park feel and is thought to be 180m years old, predating the Amazon by about 100m years. The Kuku Yalanji dreamtime walks at Mossman Gorge are called ngadiku (stories from a long time ago). There's a soap and paint-making demonstration as well as bush tea and damper. The rainforest is so diverse. There's red mahogany trees, red tulip oaks and old strangler figs. Most of the bigger animals like pademelons and wallabies are nocturnal but you might see forest dragons, tree snakes or pythons and there are plenty of birds, butterflies and insects. Port Douglas is about 30 minutes closer to the Great Barrier Reef than Cairns. The smaller boats are the best option. Sailaway operates a solar-powered glass bottom boat and goes to the outer reefs. You'll likely see turtles and reef sharks as well as fish. Wavelength Reef Cruises is a good small snorkelling boat and Calypso Reef Cruises and ABC Snorkel Charters do scuba diving too. Four Mile beach in Port Douglas is pretty touristy. It's the only beach with a designated swimming area year-round with a box jellyfish enclosure and lifeguards watching for saltwater crocodiles. The crocs move around the coast all year here; not only during the wet season. At other beaches, you might not see another person all day. Wonga beach is a 30-minute drive north. It's a long stretch of white sand fringed with rainforest trees, coconut palms and beach lettuce. It's fun to go beachcombing with kids to see different shells and driftwood. We recommend taking a photo and leaving things in place. Cape Kimberley beach is across the Mossman River and is similar to Wonga. Further north in Cape Tribulation is Coconut beach, where the rainforest and the reef meet. At low tide, you can see the reef's northern fringe. I live at Cooya beach, five minutes from Mossman. The water recedes more than a kilometre at low tide and you can walk to some smaller sections of the fringing reef. If you've been out on a boat all day, Hemingway's Brewery is an easy stop on the marina. It brews ales, lagers, pilsners and hefeweizen (wheat beer) and serves them on a big open deck overlooking the yachts. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Chillys Pizza has open-air dining and a nice little bar. You can have a punt on the cane toads too. You pick a toad and they race from the centre of a circle. If yours is the first toad to jump out, you win. It gets pretty rowdy. Jimmy Rum's is a cocktail bar that does fancy drinks. It's a city-style small bar that does cocktails with smoke and flames and the lot. Rattle n Hum is great for younger folk. Its kids' meals are all $12, including pizza made in its large stone oven. Paddy's Irish pub is very popular. It has live music on weekends, an open mic on Wednesday night and a Sunday roast lunch. My company, Walkabout Cultural Adventures, does spearing and mud-crabbing walks on Cooya beach. You can see a beautiful place anytime, but people on our tours come to understand how differently Kuku Yalanji and Aboriginal people see things. We notice everything – the changes, the animals and the ecosystems. Nature is still so important for human survival. Janbal Gallery is an Aboriginal art gallery in Mossman run by Brian 'Binna' Swindley. He does contemporary dot art with designs of fruits, medicines, seeds and wildlife from cassowaries to sea turtles, crocodiles and goannas. Binna's depictions are all about how we find them. He runs art classes too. Mossman markets are on Saturdays unless it's bucketing down with rain. There's tropical fruits and local chocolate tastings. The vendors are culturally diverse and everyone's keen for a yarn. Port Douglas market on a Sunday is bigger and has everything from fresh sugarcane juice to coconuts, chocolate-coated bananas, tandoori, massage and local buskers. Taste Port Douglas (6-9 August 2026) is a tropical food and drink festival based at Sheraton resort. They get Australian and global chefs up to do classes on their signature dishes, like laksa or prawn shell bisque. Sheraton Grand Mirage (from $395 for an entry-level room) is the only resort right on Four Mile beach. It has palm trees and lagoon-style pools and is high end. Silky Oaks Lodge (from $1,200 a night including food, wine, minibar and yoga) is on the Mossman River. It's very flash treehouse-style accommodation and the restaurant uses lots of native ingredients. Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort and Spa (from $295 for a studio room) is away from the crowds. You can walk out of your room right into a central pool. My kids love waking up and having a swim or a Jacuzzi. Mandalay (from $425 a night for a two-bedroom standard apartment) is great for families too and right opposite Four Mile beach. Tropic Breeze Caravan Park (from $38 a night for a campsite) is quieter than the other caravan parks. If you want party-style camping, Dougies Backpackers Resort (from $38 a night for a supplied tent and linen) is the one. Juan Walker is a Kuku Yalanji man and the owner of Walkabout Cultural Adventures
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
The towel ‘rule' all passengers on a nude cruise must follow and the bizarre exceptions where you can't be naked
PASSENGERS on a 'nude cruise' have been warned it is vital they follow a golden towel rule. Naked cruises are becoming increasingly popular, as people from all walks of life choose to spend their free time stripping off in front of strangers. 2 2 And one nude cruise fanatic recently shared an insight into what goes on once the ships have set sail. Taking to Reddit, the naturist explained that it is mostly older people who attend the events, adding that it is only the guests who strip off, with staff fully clothed. Curious to know more, one social media user asked: "Do you carry a towel everywhere you go? "It seems rather gross to have multiple naked sweaty bodies sitting or laying on everything that everyone uses." Responding to this, the cruise lover said: "No bare butts on any surface in any public space. Ever. "That's not a difficult concept. "Nudists are as interested in hygiene as much as, if not more than, the next guy." One nude cruise line, Bare Necessities states among their rules: "Please sit on a towel at all times while nude, in a G-string, thong, or any time you are bare-bottomed. "A fresh beach towel will be provided in your stateroom each day for that purpose. "Stacks of smaller towels will be placed throughout the ship outside of common areas in case you arrive without one." I met husband on stranded cruise ship & got married after just four months – now we LIVE on board but there's surprising downsides The cruise line also revealed that guests cannot be naked throughout the entirety of the trip. "When the ship is at sea or anchored in a port, passengers can be nude unless announcements have been made to the contrary", it said. "When the ship is docked alongside in port, all passengers must be dressed throughout the vessel, including balconies, until the ship leaves port and an announcement is made that nudity is again permissible." "The self-serve buffet is a clothes-free area", Bare Necessities continued. Pros and cons of going on a cruise ship Whether you're considering a long holiday, working remotely or even living on board a cruise ship for a few months or years, here are the pros and cons from a former cruise shipper. Pros Travel the world, learn and experience new cultures Meet new people Don't have to think or worry about room cleaning, or food Cons Internet connection can be painfully slow and expensive Limited luggage allowance so have to wear the same clothes on rotation Having no control of where the ship would go next and the possibility of visiting the same ports Having the same onboard entertainment, on-demand movies, and little choice of TV channels No fresh newspapers or new books unless someone adds them to the library Relatively the same food week after week unless major menu changes occur seasonally. Occasional rough seas, bad weather and viral outbreaks while inboard. "Clothing is required for all meals taken in the dining rooms. Casual attire is fine in all of these venues. Bathrobes are not permitted in the dining room," they explain. "When in doubt as to what is appropriate attire, simply confirm that breasts, bottoms and genitalia are fully covered by clothing that is not considered to be fetish-wear or lingerie. "Lingerie, fetish-wear, and excessive genital jewelry are not appropriate at any time."
