According to representatives of the cable car company, Jumis, the accident took place when the operator, who has 20 years' experience, fell asleep while the cable car was traveling across the steep Gauja River valley.
When the car reached the other side and was supposed to stop, it didn't. Instead it crashed straight into the station wall with 13 passengers on board, all of whom were taken to hospital.
The 58-year-old operator apparently fell asleep so deeply he did not hear the warning siren when the cabin approached the station on top of the valley. An initial check showed the operator was not under the influence of alcohol. But he has been fired, according to a Jumis representative.
This is not the first accident the cable car has suffered. A similar accident occurred in 1980, when a cable car operator stepped out of the cabin for unknown reasons and fell to his death. The worst accident so far related to the cable car took place in the 1970s, when the car plunged 40 meters straight down with passengers on board.
The cable car and all its equipment was checked carefully before the tourist season started, Jumis representatives said.
The car is expected to be up and running again within a week.
Four of the five injured elderly German tourists were released from hospital, while the fifth stayed an extra day for observation.
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