Canada cable car cord severed in likely act of vandalism, say police

Canadian police are investigating an apparent act of vandalism after a cord carrying cable cars was severed, sending all 30 of them crashing to the ground.

No one was in the cable cars at the time and no injuries have been reported.

Police believe someone deliberately cut the cable in Stawamus Chief Provincial Park in the early hours of Saturday.

The downed Sea to Sky Gondola cars and cable was reported at around 7am local time (2pm BST) on Saturday and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were called.

The tourist attraction's manager told Canadian broadcaster CBC that maintenance on the line had been conducted recently "and it was a big, thick, beautiful healthy rope".

The rope is a multi-strand steel cable, 55mm (2.2 inches) across.

Police said that technical safety experts were assessing the line.

RCMP Inspector Kara Triance told CBC experts would know the difference between a faulty cable and one that was cut deliberately.

She added that the person responsible put themselves in "extreme jeopardy" if they had climbed a maintenance pole – but also because the steel cable unravelling under tension would have been very dangerous.

Police are appealing for anyone who was in the park between 4am and 9am on Saturday morning to contact them with any information they may have.