Tourists stranded mid-air after tech snag hits Gulmarg cable car snag rescued
Hundreds of tourists stranded midair after a technical fault hit the Gulmarg cable car service in Jammu and Kashmir were safely rescued by SDRF, NDRF and other agencies on Monday.
Around 300 tourists travelling in 65 cabins were stranded mid-air for hours after the Gulmarg Gondola cable car system developed technical problems in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, triggering a major multi-agency rescue operation that was hampered by heavy rain.
Operations of both phases of the Gulmarg cable car service, popularly known as the Gondola, were suspended following the malfunction that occurred around noon, officials said. No casualties were reported.
Panic gripped the tourist resort after several cabins got stranded high above the ground with tourists onboard. Officials said some of the cabins were hanging at a height of nearly 500 ft, making evacuation operations difficult and time-consuming.
A major rescue operation was launched soon after the malfunction, involving personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, the Army, BSF Spl CI teams, HAWAS and the Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP).
Officials said 179 tourists were evacuated safely during the first five hours of the operation, while passengers had been taken out from around 60 per cent of the cabins so far.
Heavy rain in the area hampered rescue efforts, officials added.
Restoration work on the cable car system is currently underway.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the government was “closely monitoring” the situation.
“All cabins are intact and rescue operations to safely evacuate stranded tourists are underway with trained teams on the ground. The situation is completely under control and there is no cause for panic,” Abdullah said in a post on X.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said he had directed DGP Nalin Prabhat to proceed to Gulmarg to oversee the rescue operation.
“I’m monitoring the rescue operation for tourists stranded in cable car cabins following a technical fault in Gulmarg. I have directed the DGP to proceed to the site. Joint rescue teams of Police, Army & SDRF along with DC and SSP are conducting the operation to ensure the safety of all tourists,” Sinha posted on X.
The Army said in a post on X that swift and coordinated rescue efforts were launched with the assistance of the Chinar Corps.
The Gulmarg Gondola had witnessed a major accident on June 25, 2017, when seven people were killed after a tree uprooted by strong winds struck a cabin, causing it to crash to the ground.
The cable car service was also temporarily suspended in January last year because of technical issues.
Monday’s incident came a day after a 16-year-old boy died in Agra after a zipline cable snapped at an amusement facility, causing him to fall nearly 45 ft.
Around 300 tourists travelling in 65 cabins were stranded mid-air for hours after the Gulmarg Gondola cable car system developed technical problems in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, triggering a major multi-agency rescue operation that was hampered by heavy rain.
Operations of both phases of the Gulmarg cable car service, popularly known as the Gondola, were suspended following the malfunction that occurred around noon, officials said. No casualties were reported.
Panic gripped the tourist resort after several cabins got stranded high above the ground with tourists onboard. Officials said some of the cabins were hanging at a height of nearly 500 ft, making evacuation operations difficult and time-consuming.
A major rescue operation was launched soon after the malfunction, involving personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, the Army, BSF Spl CI teams, HAWAS and the Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP).
Officials said 179 tourists were evacuated safely during the first five hours of the operation, while passengers had been taken out from around 60 per cent of the cabins so far.
Heavy rain in the area hampered rescue efforts, officials added.
Restoration work on the cable car system is currently underway.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the government was “closely monitoring” the situation.
“All cabins are intact and rescue operations to safely evacuate stranded tourists are underway with trained teams on the ground. The situation is completely under control and there is no cause for panic,” Abdullah said in a post on X.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said he had directed DGP Nalin Prabhat to proceed to Gulmarg to oversee the rescue operation.
“I’m monitoring the rescue operation for tourists stranded in cable car cabins following a technical fault in Gulmarg. I have directed the DGP to proceed to the site. Joint rescue teams of Police, Army & SDRF along with DC and SSP are conducting the operation to ensure the safety of all tourists,” Sinha posted on X.
The Army said in a post on X that swift and coordinated rescue efforts were launched with the assistance of the Chinar Corps.
The Gulmarg Gondola had witnessed a major accident on June 25, 2017, when seven people were killed after a tree uprooted by strong winds struck a cabin, causing it to crash to the ground.
The cable car service was also temporarily suspended in January last year because of technical issues.
Monday’s incident came a day after a 16-year-old boy died in Agra after a zipline cable snapped at an amusement facility, causing him to fall nearly 45 ft.
