Nearly 300 tourists in 65 cable car cabins were left stranded mid-air for several hours after the Gulmarg Gondola system developed a technical fault in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. Rescue operations were slowed due to heavy rain.
A large multi-agency rescue operation was started soon after the malfunction was reported around noon. Officials said 179 tourists were safely evacuated in the first five hours. Some cabins were hanging nearly 500 feet above the ground.
Heavy rainfall in the area also made rescue work more difficult, officials said.
Operations on both phases of the Gulmarg cable car service, known as the Gondola, were suspended after the technical failure. No casualties were reported. Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, and the Army took part in the rescue operation.
Restoration work on the cable car system is currently ongoing, officials added.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the government is closely monitoring the situation. He said all cabins are intact and rescue operations are underway with trained teams on the ground. He added that the situation is under control and there is no need for panic.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said he has directed DGP Nalin Prabhat to reach Gulmarg and oversee the rescue operation. He said he is monitoring the situation and joint teams of police, Army, and SDRF along with the Deputy Commissioner and SSP are working to ensure the safety of all tourists.
The Army said in a post on X that swift and coordinated rescue efforts were launched with the help of the Chinar Corps.
Earlier, on June 25, 2017, the Gulmarg Gondola witnessed an accident in which seven persons were killed after a tree uprooted by strong winds hit a cabin, causing it to crash.
The cable car service was also temporarily suspended in January last year due to technical issues.
A day earlier, a 16-year-old boy died in Agra after a zipline cable snapped at an amusement facility, causing a fall of nearly 45 feet, making Monday’s incident more concerning.
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