Tourists stranded mid-air after tech snag hits Gulmarg cable car snag rescued

Hundreds of tourists were stranded aboard the J&K's Gulmarg Gondola cable car service in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday after the system developed a technical fault, prompting a large-scale rescue operation by multiple agencies.

Operations of both phases of the Gulmarg cable car service, popularly known as the Gondola, were suspended following the malfunction, officials said.

Panic gripped the tourist resort after several cabins got stranded mid-air with tourists onboard. Rescue teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rushed to the spot and safely evacuated multiple visitors suspended high above the ground. SF Spl CI teams also joined the rescue operation along with HAWAS and the Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP).

Officials said hundreds of tourists who were enjoying the ride were rescued safely from the cabins by SDRF and NDRF personnel. Restoration work on the cable car system is currently underway.

Initial reports suggested that overloading may have caused the snag. However, authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact reason behind the technical malfunction that put dozens of lives at risk.

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,” Abdullah said in a post on X.

“The situation is completely under control and there is no cause for panic,” he added.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also said he was monitoring the rescue operation following the technical fault in Gulmarg.

“I’m monitoring the rescue operation for tourists stranded in cable car cabins following a technical fault in Gulmarg. I have directed DGP to proceed to the site,” the Lieutenant Governor said in a social media post.