The death toll was equal to that of another cable car accident in Italy which had occurred one year previously.

[2] In the early morning hours of 1 July 1999, twenty staff members who worked at the Plateau de Bure Astronomical Observatory boarded a gondola which was serviced by an aerial tramway owned by the company.

[5] Simiand indicated that Apav, a private engineering firm, had carried out the last major inspection of the cable car in 1998.

[4] However, the prefect of the Hautes-Alpes region, Rémi Caron, told a press conference that it seemed as though the car unhooked itself from the cables for an unknown reason.

[6] Initially, the state prosecutor demanded a six month prison sentence for eight maintenance workers at the observatory, for their contributing roles in the accident.